Revolution
by the general girl
Summary: He was sent to protect her, but Sakura couldn't help but think that her dark savior was just as dangerous as those who sought to pry the kingdom from her cold, dead hands. — SasuSaku, AU.
1. Moonrise

**Revolution**

**Chapter I; Moonrise**

**-**

**-**

"you cannot make a revolution with silk gloves."

Joseph Stalin

-

-

A dying kingdom, Sakura thought, she was going to be Queen of a dying kingdom.

A dead ruler for a dead land.

It might have been morbid, she mused, if someone didn't know the current circumstances, because Sakura could _feel_ it, the death in the cold halls of the castle, a sickness lying just beneath the stonework. And she, she was going to die tonight, already dressed for the funeral in a resplendent gown of red.

Her harsh breathing sounded impossibly loud in the still air, her slippered feet making no noise on the frost covered forest floor. Sakura could hear him though, maybe fifteen feet behind, _stalking_, his pace a slow crawl compared to hers. Bare branches tore at her hair and clothes, the early winter chill numbing the exposed skin at her neck and shoulders. It was a desperate flight, a race that Sakura knew she wouldn't win, not when the one prowling was an apparently experienced nin, not when she was so heavily encumbered by her dress.

It was foolish for her to have been wandering outside alone at night, palace grounds or not. It was a masquerade party, supposedly thrown in celebration of her sixteenth birthday but actually just another occasion for the nobles to wheedle more out of the aging King, gorging themselves on food and sex.

Sakura had felt suffocated in there, where the smoky air was thick with perfume and false pretenses that were transparent despite the masks they'd all worn, so she had slipped away for fresh air.

She found the first murdered guard with his throat slit; face down on the brown grass. She had felt him immediately after, _heard_ the shuriken that barely grazed the side of her head.

Sakura didn't bother screaming, she ran. He pushed her away from the castle, towards the woods at the fringe of the grounds, the music from the revel fading as the distance between her and safety increased. If she'd screamed then, someone _might _have heard over the din, but now there was no longer a possibility of rescue.

The moonlight that had been spilling through the bare branches of the trees abruptly ceased, plunging her surroundings into darkness. Storm clouds had massed around the moon. Momentarily struck blind, Sakura stumbled, hands thrown forward to brace her fall, palms scraping painfully across the hard ground. Panic and adrenaline fueling her, she ignored the stinging pain and scrambled with difficulty to her feet, listening hard for his approach. There was nothing.

Sakura only hesitated for a second before running again, but it was enough, the shinobi had had his fun. A slight rustle of a red and black cloak and the drawing of a blade signaled that he was in front of her…

She squeezed her eyes shut, backing away on aching feet even as she waited for the blade to end her life.

_Is anyone there-?_

At the sound of metal whistling through air, even though it would have been of no use, Sakura couldn't help it— she screamed.

But there was no pain, only the sudden sound of steel grating against steel. Her eyes flew open. The clouds moved to reveal the moon again just as she heard something pierce through flesh, squelching as it cut through muscle and bone and back.

There, framed against the bony skeletons of trees and bathed in moonlight, was her savior, foreign blade poised over the prone body of the cloaked shinobi. Sakura had only the chance to register spiky, blue-black hair before he turned towards her, the sudden impact of his _face_ bringing her to a stand still. His features were achingly beautiful, the stark white marble carved with clean, sharp strokes and molded into the visage of an angel. But no ordinary angel could preside so coolly over the dead and school their expression into such a careless mask of indifference.

_What God forgot you?_

Sakura looked into his eyes and suddenly recoiled, stumbling back from the motionless figures illuminated like a bloody tableau.

Like a demon from hell, his eyes shone ruby red.

* * *

**a/n:** Finally (re)rolled out the multichap. :D Short chapter was short but I felt this was where to best end things. Don't worry (or maybe do), following chapters will be longer, and everything will be explained, _in time_. It's pretty easy to see that this is going to be AU, but lots of elements from canon will be present. For now, interpret everything as you will. And yeah, this is a total overhaul of the Revolution from before, with some basic plot points intact. Please review, I really want to see this whole thing through and your thoughts (as well as lots and lots of constructive criticism) on this would be great.


	2. Midnight

**Revolution**

**Chapter II; Midnight  
**

**-**

**-**

"the trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool."

Stephen King

-

-

"The Akatsuki did this."

Sakura sat, curled up in one of huge plush chairs lining the walls of the study. Picking at the worn fabric, she tried in vain to listen to the conversation, but her gaze kept shifting to the shadows at her left.

"That's what I would assume Haruno-sama, since our assailant was wearing one of their cloaks."

Danzou never called her father King. He said he didn't believe in monarchies. She drew her knees to her chest, legs now covered in a plain blue gown. The needless bandages around her feet itched.

"Are you sure though? It couldn't have been a ruse, someone trying to frame them?"

Danzou was an ambassador of sorts between Leaf and Fire, an elder on the council of the former and an advisor to the King on the latter. He was the reason that the two lands weren't currently at war. He kept the King informed of any potential shinobi threats to the Kingdom and told him if action was necessary. Her father touted the man as a godsend.

Sakura didn't trust him.

"I doubt that. No intelligence to date has revealed an organization that would be able to rival the Akatsuki—that would be able to rival Rain. I believe increased vigilance for Sakura would be advisable, hence—"

The patch of darkness on her left, the one that her eyes couldn't help but be drawn to, suddenly shifted, and _he_ stepped forward, movements fluid and graceful, face sculpted in perfect apathy.

His eyes were pitch black.

"—Sasuke. I assure you, Haruno-sama, that he is one of the best. I wouldn't think it out of my place to say that this is a shinobi matter, and nin deal in stealth and secrecy. Sasuke here would be perfect. He is discreet and efficient, as Sakura no doubt witnessed tonight, and will make sure that no harm will befall your…princess."

Danzou was mocking her, she could tell by the tone, but the helpless urge to gouge out his remaining eye didn't rise like it always did, unbidden. _Sasuke_'s mere nearness forced her to focus on him, his presence nearly overwhelming. It was hard, not to stare at that face, into those eyes. But she could've sworn, _sworn_ that they had glowed red in the moonlight—red as the death dress she'd worn, red as the blood that still speckled his dark clothes.

He was looking at her now, the objects of her obsession narrowed in some subtle feeling that she almost couldn't discern. With a jolt, Sakura realized it was annoyance. The room was silent, and with another start, she looked up to find that all three men were staring at her. She guessed that they had asked her if she was okay with Sasuke and were now waiting for a response.

Not that it mattered, because what Danzou generally says, goes, but _was she_? Sasuke…Sasuke was uncertainty. She had seen how cleanly he'd cut down that man as if killing was second nature to him, as natural and effortless as the act of breathing. He had scared her. Come to think of it, he still did.

Sakura nodded.

* * *

It felt odd for her to lead, even odder still to hear no footsteps resounding behind her, despite the nin-sandals that he was wearing. The stone halls of the castle were emptied in the wake of the mass hysteria that had followed when the bodies of the murdered guards had been discovered; the nobles immediately fled the castle in a panic even though the culprit was long dead.

Sakura for once wished that there were more people around; being alone with Sasuke put her on edge. Normally a servant would've attended to them, but everyone was currently being questioned by some interrogators that Danzou had lent, just in case one of them had been conspiring with the Akatsuki.

The feeling that betrayal could have lived with her, could've made her a meal or changed the sheets of her bed made her queasy. And for what? A bag of gold coins? An opportunity, security that came without sacrifices, for their family, brother mother sister son? Nothing that she or her father could deliver.

Yes, betrayal was disturbing but not impossible.

She ascended a small flight of stairs and stopped in front of a pair of wrought iron doors, expecting Sasuke to retreat to the rooms that'd been prepared for him across the hall. When she looked back however, he was still trailing silently after her.

"Um, you don't have to follow me all the time, I think I'm pretty safe inside. You can go to your rooms if you want—they're right across from mine—or you could look around the castle if you so desire until dinner is served."

Sakura caught herself at the very last second, her words reverting back to the formal standard that was supposed to be kept between lords and ladies. Not that he was a lord, but-

She blinked. Sasuke had brushed past her and was already moving to slip through the doors. Any protests she had was silenced by the glare he shot her. She opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but he stopped her with another quelling look. Sakura marched up the last few steps, about to demand that he explained himself when he minutely shook his head, dark spikes swaying before disappearing behind the doors.

Whatever he had to do only took him a minute, and when he reemerged from her rooms he had a grimly satisfied look on his face.

"There could have been an ambush waiting for you. Since a servant could be involved, it didn't seem too unlikely."

Sakura nodded, her mouth dry. Sasuke probably didn't realize it, but it was the first time that he'd spoken. His voice was low and smooth, and even if she would never say it out loud; soft. She smiled wryly; it figured that he would be easy on both the eyes and ears.

_But dangerous, please, please don't forget_.

She waited for him to head to his own rooms, but he still stood expectantly by the opened door.

He wasn't going to be leaving her anytime soon.

Sighing, she entered, correctly assuming that he would follow. Her rooms were big, and when she had been presented with the suite at the age of five, it had felt quite intimidating to her, like it was something she had to live up to. The furniture was austere, high backed chairs and a canopied bed in chipped gold and white. Her things were littered about the main sitting room though, the doorway in the wall to the bedroom revealing riding clothes draped over a vanity chair. Normally all her things would've been put away by one maidservant or another despite her protests. The reason for their absence tonight made her frown.

"I didn't touch anything that wasn't necessary."

Sakura looked up, startled. Sasuke stood by the door, his face impassive. If she hadn't known that there was no one else in the room with them, she wouldn't have thought he'd spoken. Blinking, she realized that he had taken her expression as displeasure that he had touched her things.

It was impossible to muster a smile when she said, "It's just that I was almost killed today. It puts a downer on the whole birthday thing you know, seeing a man being stabbed to death in front of you—not that I'm not grateful, per se--."

She suddenly stopped, looking away from his unwavering gaze. It was hard to formulate a coherent thought when he was staring at her like that.

"Thank you."

Her voice was soft, hesitant, because whatever else Sasuke was, he had also saved her life.

_But what nightmares did he leave in death's stead? _

His dark eyes never left hers when she moved towards him. Her brows furrowed when one small hand extended itself, trembling, to graze a finger against blood stained skin. She caught herself just before they made contact, lips parted as she tried to form words that wouldn't come. Her hand stayed there, suspended in the air for a full minute between the motionless figures before she frowned, arm coming to rest limply by her side.

The man hadn't moved an inch. There was nothing romantic in his stare, his expression clinically detached as he observed her, waiting. Sakura licked her suddenly lips nervously as she wondered what had possessed her to reach out instinctively like that, the fear tinged awe that she held him in mixed nauseatingly with an odd desire to find cool skin beneath the dried blood.

_To see if he was truly human._

"Thank you," she repeated again as she took a clumsy step back.

"Aa." His answer was quiet, a single syllable that could have meant anything except for the way his eyes hardened imperceptibly. That stung, for some reason.

Running a hand through her hair, she sighed, keeping her gaze resolutely on a jumble of books and scrolls piled up on a nearby table.

Deciding to do something rather than spend the time between now and when someone would summon them in an awkward silence, she walked over to the table, picking up the books and balancing them in a precarious pile in her arms. She bit her lip as she contemplated the possibility of the tower toppling over, before shrugging minutely and moving past Sasuke to the shelves lining the walls around him.

As expected, he didn't offer to help.

Sakura bit off a curse when a particularly heavy text wobbled dangerously on top of the pile. Closing her eyes, she waited for the inevitable pain as it tumbled straight for her foot. When the pain didn't come, she released a relieved breath, only to find Sasuke in front of her, offering the book to her with one hand.

Her eyes widened, she hadn't even heard him move; how could anyone be so inhumanly _fast_?

She swallowed when their fingertips met as she reached for the book. A sudden resounding knock on the door almost made her drop it again. Keeping her eyes glued to his feet, she waited for him to move out of her way. She gritted her teeth when he didn't budge, and dumped the few remaining books she had onto the shelf, winding her way between the man and the wall, all too wary of accidentally brushing against his black clad form.

It was a servant telling them that dinner was served. Dismissing the terrified looking maid and watching amusedly as she scurried away like a mouse, Sakura turned to Sasuke, a small smile still lingering on her lips.

She stopped at the look on his face. It was gone in an instance, but the expression chilled her blood. It was ruthless, sizing her up even as it melted back into nothing.

He walked past her and out into the hall, following the echoes of the servant's foot steps. Sakura remained frozen, wide eyes glued to his retreating back.

_Just who _are_ you?_

* * *

Sasuke entered the room soundlessly, slipping between gap and door, body barely making contact with the solid surface. The King was still in his study, though now he stood with his back to the entrance, hands clasped entreatingly behind his hand.

Sasuke's sword arm twitched.

He stepped closer to the immense desk separating the two men, footsteps loud and deliberate.

The King sighed, eyes never leaving the view of the dark expanse of the great lawn exposed by small lanterns scattered few and far between, "Yes?"

"The people are moving. They want to see their Princess."

The older man turned around, the wrinkles around his grey green eyes deepening as he frowned, "Do not disturb her. I will send what troops I can spare to try and subdue them."

"And if they are not enough?"

He smiled, and the resemblance to the Princess was suddenly startling, "Then the task falls on you, does it not?"

Sasuke merely nodded.

_

* * *

_

**a/n**: I hope this didn't take too long, and that it didn't disappoint. ^^" There's still a lot of _stuff_ to be explained, but for the moment I hope the vibe's more "ooooh mysterious" than "wtf's happening?". Feedback on the preliminary sasusaku interaction would be great, since I'm working without the base history that canon so happily provides us with. I wanted there to be a certain basic kind of chemistry and curiosity, without overriding the "I don't know you very well/someone's trying to kill me" factor. Was it satisfactory?

Hints about the state of the Haruno kingdom and Sakura's circumstances are littered throughout, but as for information on the setting and stuff, that I can just give you. The land of Leaf is basically Konoha, just imagine them to have a much wider domain than just one village. They're pretty much canon, with Japanese culture and whatnot, hokages and etc still intact. Technologically speaking, they're not as advanced as canon, though having chakra at their disposal gives them certain _advantages_. The time period is just generic fantasy (kind of like in books such as Eragon). The land of Fire (Sakura's kingdom) however, has mostly adopted a European culture (though they're still Japanese speaking and all that). Sasuke sports a more traditional "ninja" outfit rather than the yukatas and kimonos that he would normally wear while in Konoha.

One last thing before I go, if you're looking for more sasusaku to read, be sure to check out **bergundy**'s awesome fics, especially her Snakes and Ladders series, **Fifth Life** and **Second Life**. Seriously, **bergundy**'s writing is just so original and superb, the pacing might be slow at times, but the journey is so, so good. And review, because she deserves way more than she get. Oh, and leave one for me too, if you're so inclined? Thanks very much to everyone who's left feedback and whatnot for the first chapter, it really helped a lot to see where I'm ultimately going to go with this fic. :)


	3. Acquaintances

**Revolution**

**Chapter III; Acquaintances **

**-**

**-**

"worry not that no one knows of you; seek to be worth knowing."

Confucius

-

-

It infuriated Sakura, to say the least, that every step she took was shadowed by a silk black presence. It was almost impossible to find privacy when she was always expected to put on a pretty show and be a good little princess, and now whatever sense of it she had left was stripped away in favor of her life.

_Because of what you can do. Never because of who you are_.

And it didn't help that she was so easily _unnerved_ by him either. Sasuke never talked if he could help it; indeed, ever since the first night, where courtesy and decorum at dinner had forced the reluctant man to respond to the King's probing questions with much shorter, succinct versions of his own, he had barely spoken a word.

It didn't feel much different from being followed by a ghost.

"It's a beautiful day," she said over her shoulder, one hand trailing along the stone walls as they made their way past arched windows with dusty, three paned glass that filtered in most of the bright early morning sunshine.

He said nothing, but a small jerk of his head indicated that he had heard her, though not of his opinion. It wasn't easy, reading Sasuke, and Sakura couldn't be bothered to try anymore. It was too hard to concentrate when she looked at him, the residual sense of apprehension and dread that still lingered from the first night making it impossible for her to watch and decode without adding paranoia into the mix. It was harder still when what you were trying to observe surreptitiously out of the corner of your eye always returned your stare with a steely gaze of his own. The dark eyed man never missed anything.

Biting back a sigh on closed thoughts, she led them a few more hallways west, ignoring the way that the nobles who used to never let up a chance of playing cat-and-mouse with her now unconsciously parted whenever they spied Sasuke in her company.

Sakura tried very hard not to feel grateful for it.

She quickened her pace during the last few steps to the side door that would eventually lead them outside. The gardeners that they employed frequently used this exit, and there were no guards stationed outside it, not when it led so deep into the castle grounds. Everyone except the servants preferred to enter and exit the gardens through either main entrances or doors in their own chambers that led to more populated areas of the grounds. Sakura chose this spot exactly because it was more secluded, less looked after.

Sasuke looked skeptical at best when she rounded a lonely corner and finally came to a worn wooden door. There were supply closets on either walls, and the entrance itself was barred by a thick piece of metal. He watched her silently as she self consciously rolled up the sleeves of her gown before attempting to shift the heavy slab. The slim muscles of her arms strained for just a second before she succeeded.

Dumping it to the side, Sakura couldn't help but turn back to Sasuke with a triumphant smirk on her face. His eyes didn't shift once from the dead pan stare that he always gave her. Biting her lips, she sighed and pushed the creaking door away from its hinges, breathing in the creeping smell of fresh air and savoring the bite of the chilled wind that blew across her face.

A small rustle and the harsh thud of wood against stone told her that he had followed. Without looking back, she deftly hopped from crumbling stone steps and onto the frost bitten ground below. Sakura studied the sudden goose bumps on her arms for a moment before rolling her sleeves back down and pulling the thick cloak closer to her form, squinting into the slight wind as she surveyed the sprawling plot of empty land before her.

"In the summer there are more things growing here; flowerbeds in the bare patches by the side and the odd vegetable garden. No one really makes a fuss about this part of the grounds because everyone else prefers to be out by the front. I usually never see anyone when I'm out here."

"You shouldn't come here alone."

Sakura whirled around, shocked. She hadn't expected a reply out of the stoic man; after two or three days in his company she'd taken to filling in the harsher silences with small talk, though he'd never deigned to comment on it until now with more than just a small raise of his eyebrows if what she'd said was, in his opinion, particularly moronic.

Flashing a practiced smile as she walked backwards away from the castle, she jibed, "But I'm not."

"It only makes you so much easier to kill."

His voice was flat, emotionless, nothing betraying the gravity of those words. Sakura turned around hastily, now walking properly forward. It was hard, having someone talk of her death so easily, so clinically, like it was just one of a hundred battle scenarios in a war. It had only been a week, and she was already forgetting why he was here.

The only sound after that was the crunching of her boots against the detritus on the ground and the whistling of the wind. They were on a winding path that would take them all the way around the outer perimeter of the castle, out of the way of anyone else who might've been taking a walk along the inner paths.

Sakura cleared her throat after a while, a nervous noise that broke silence's reign. Looking back at Sasuke warily, she asked, "So, how much longer do you think you are going to have to stay?"

"How much longer would you like to live?"

She ignored the sardonic smirk on his face and pressed on, "How long?"

"As long as it takes," was his curt reply.

"That is hardly an answer Sasuke-san."

"I apologize if this has been troublesome for your highness, but I do not really relish looking after a spoiled little girl all the time either."

There was just the slightest edge in his voice, but that too was well controlled, just like his always steady composure. Sakura whirled around and snarled, hard diamond flecked eyes boring into Sasuke's own as she stifled the urge to break his face.

"You shouldn't make assumptions Sasuke. You don't know the first thing about me beyond what some file and unreliable reputation says, and you're just going to end up making an _ass_ out of yourself."

His face betrayed nothing, but there was a threatening glint in his eyes that thrilled more than terrified her, and she smirked in triumph at breaking his stupid self control, if only for a moment. His words had stung though, on a level deeper than she cared to admit. Because that's what everyone thought, wasn't it? Because she was the sole daughter, the sole heir, of an aging and ailing King. Because she was the first girl to be born into the line for generations.

_Because of what you can do. Never because of who you are. _

And the only one, the _only_ one who had really cared…

Sakura furiously blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall, because she would not lose, not to him, not to herself; she was not _spoiled_, and most of all she would never allow herself to be _weak_.

* * *

Sasuke scrutinized the defiant girl who was currently trying to stare him down. He could tell that she was fighting back tears by the glassy green of her eyes. He scoffed lightly, because desperate words wouldn't dissuade him what years of experience had taught. The girl he was supposed to be protecting was a sheltered princess, someone who had never seen the horrors of war or felt the pain of losing everything that you held dear in one night. The week that he'd spent at the palace had gone agonizingly slow for him, but Sasuke had been able to memorize the layout of most of the castle and even the grounds, as _Sakura_ spent most of her time outdoors, staying out of the bustle that had resulted in the wake of the attempted assassination, the upgrades to security, the increase of guards, the _introduction of shamanic wards around all the windows and doors._

All for one little girl who couldn't be bothered to just stay inside.

Pathetic.

The small movement of her shoulders told him that she'd almost flinched at the noise, but his stare was merciless as he said, voice low, "You have never truly fought, princess. Never truly hurt. I think," he paused, expression bland, "that I would not be the one making assumptions here."

Expressionlessly, he watched as she turned her back on him and tipped her head towards the sky, and he knew he had won.

"There are many different kinds of pain and hurting."

With that she started to walk away from him.

He just had time to narrow his eyes dispassionately when he felt the unfamiliar chakra signature moving towards them. Kusanagi was out in an instance, the sides of his cloak thrown back over his shoulders as he freed his arms. Another heartbeat and he had flash stepped forward, throwing Sakura behind him.

Ignoring her gasp of surprise, he moved the moment a blond shinobi rounded the corner, the blade of his kusanagi squealing against the ninja's hastily drawn kunai. Apathetic eyes noted that the symbol etched on the forehead protector as Konoha's. A small frown marred his brows as he returned the parry, though the confusion didn't for a moment halt the movement of his sword as he forcefully deflected the kunai to the ground and flicked kusanagi up to a bared neck.

Sasuke towered over the blond as he pressed the sword harder against the shinobi's throat, breaking skin and leaving a thin line of blood behind.

"Who sent you?"

The ninja raised their hands sheepishly in the air, blue eyes wary, "Hey, no need to get rough," ignoring his glare, the nin looked over Sasuke's shoulder to where Sakura still laid half sprawled on the ground, "Is this any way to treat an old friend Sakura-chan?"

He loosened his grip in surprise as Sakura's dazed voice sounded from somewhere behind him, "I-Ino?"

* * *

Ino stood next to Sakura as she once again found herself in her father's study, narrowed eyes watching Sasuke's back.

"And why weren't you informed of their arrival again?" The King sagged in the chair behind his desk, hands rubbing the tired skin around his eyes.

"The Sandaime's never had very good relations with our Root division. I think it would be safe to say that she didn't feel it necessary to inform Danzou."

Ino shifted at her side, huffing indignantly, "Hokage-sama doesn't need to inform the elders of everything he does. He authorized a small team for reinforcements. Since Sasuke's supposed to tail your daughter all the time, that means he's left very little freedom to go and do some reconnaissance around the castle, the grounds, maybe even the city and such around here for any clues as to how Akatsuki's been able to infiltrate Fire so successfully. I know Danzou-_sama_ didn't think it necessary to loan you any extra nin, but it would be best if there were more eyes stationed around here, especially if those eyes managed to blend in with the other servants around the castle, which Sasuke does _not_ have the luxury to do. _And_ my team's one of the best at this sort of espionage mission. Considering the stake that Konoha has in this, the Hokage felt that it would be prudent to take additional action."

Sakura watched bitterly as Sasuke tensed, eyes flicking in her direction in slight confusion, their confrontation from earlier still fresh in her mind. Of course he wouldn't know. She sighed, rising from her preferred chair as she did so, "It all makes sense father and Ino's right, it wouldn't be too prudent if we had some extra nin around for intelligence and emergency case scenarios. Akatsuki won't expect any shinobi besides Sasuke to be here, if they attempt another infiltration or assassination, they'll be blindsided by the extra ninja."

The King frowned, "But why didn't the Hokage bother to inform me personally?"

Ino smiled smugly, "Because it seems that our team outdistanced the bird that was carrying the message. I apologize if our unexpected arrival caused you any trouble."

Sakura stifled a snigger.

Her father coughed, looking down at the carbon copy of the letter that Sarutobi had sent with the bird, "Right, fine then. I'm sure the servants will be able to get you and the rest of your team some quarters with them. You must, however, also report to me anything that you find in addition to your Hokage. However big a stake Konoha has in this, Sakura _is _still the only heir to the throne."

"Will do!" Flashing the King one last brilliant smile, Ino promptly steered the still smirking Sakura out of the room, Sasuke close behind. The short walk to her suite was strained, the silence almost tangible under the weight of the his stare from behind. The few courtiers still lingering at the palace after the attempted assassination gave the three a wide berth, the women tittering behind lacy fans. The usual urge to smile thinly and make a sarcastic comment or two quickly faded under Sasuke's gaze, making the idiom that his eyes 'could burn holes' through her back come to mind.

Sakura resolutely refused to fidget, but she could tell that Ino was unnerved. A quick glance from the blond to the pinkette confirmed it, seeming to convey "is he for _serious?_" Sakura frowned. The three came to a standstill outside the steps leading to her rooms, and just as she was about to snarl that she and Ino would be fine if he just left them alone for a _moment_, Sasuke abruptly turned, eyes unfathomable as he stalked the width of the hallway that separated her suite from his, the door thudding to a close with a definitive click as he disappeared behind them.

Sakura frowned, throwing one last look over her shoulder, and led Ino up the steps, entering her room. Ino snorted as soon as the doors closed behind them, flipping her long blond ponytail over a shoulder.

"What the hell was up with him, Forehead?"

She couldn't help but let a grin stretch her face even as she tried to feign anger at the nickname that she hadn't heard in years, "Stick up his ass, pig."

They laughed, Ino pushing past Sakura as she made to stand at the window that overlooked the grounds below.

"It's been a while, huh?" The taller blond asked, her normally loud and, er, vivacious voice low and serious, standing out conspicuously in ninja attire amidst her laces and filigree. Sakura hummed in response, settling in a chair near the window.

Her next breath came out in a huff, "Isn't it horrible that it takes almost getting myself killed for my father to let us see each other again?"

"… _formed attachments...dangerous…may be the best for the kingdom…"_

Ino turned, a minute frown marring her brows; her tone was light though when she said. "Tch, what's horrible is that even when I _finally_, _finally_ get to wear those pretty clothes of yours, I have to pretend I'm your lady in waiting. Honestly."

Sakura laughed despite herself, "You? _You're_ going to be my lady in waiting? Who thought of _this_?"

Ino scoffed, tossing her head, "Well, you can't very well expect me to work in the kitchens, can you? That's Chouji and Shikamaru's job. But there is _no_ way that I'm going to follow you around all day, Sasuke's more than enough. It doesn't matter how good looking he is, how do you stand being around him all day? His chakra is _hellish _even when it's suppressed."

"He does have a certain presence, doesn't he?" Sakura shrugged, folding her legs under her as she rested her chin on the high back of the chair, looking past Ino and into the sky, "I've been forced to spend the past week with him, and I'm still not sure if I should be terrified or if I should kick him where the sun doesn't shine."

Turning to the pink haired girl, Ino grimaced, serious again, "And I guess you've just never felt his killing intent before."

She almost objected, remembering the first night and the flashing ruby eyes, but already Ino had moved on.

"I've never heard of him, you know? No one in the village knows a thing about Sasuke. Apparently he just turned up with Danzou. Sarutobi-sama didn't know about him either, which was strange enough, but it's hardly unusual that anyone knows much about the Root members, so he couldn't really do anything. No surname, no history…"

Sakura stilled at her words, eyes unblinking.

"Sarutobi-sama was worried about what Danzou was up didn't only send us for reconnaissance…"

She knew the implications of Ino's unfinished sentence.

"Be careful Sakura."

She flinched.

_Because of what you can do. Never because of who you are_.

* * *

**a/n:** Um, first of all, apologies all around, I'm _so _sorry for not updating in a month and a half. Long story short, I didn't have internet _then_, I have internet _now._ Kind of. And then second of all, I'm also sorry if I didn't reply to your reviews. I have about half a thousand unread emails in my inbox, so I have no idea if I've replied to you already or not. But just know that I _do_ read and love every single one of them, and yes, what you say _does_ make a difference. (Case in point Un!sawr. I _know_ I haven't replied to you yet because I can't. xD It wasn't my intention for the last part in chapter two to really lead to anything, and any bodice ripping will soon be curtailed by the fact that Sasuke's an absolute jerk. And also she was more fascinated by the blood still on him then er, his masculine wiles themselves. But yeah, maybe I didn't convey that too well? ^^")

And now some notes; you might've noticed the informal language, but that's because you've mostly just seen Sakura interacting with Sasuke, Ino, etc, and due to her contact with nin earlier in her life (if you haven't figured that out by now...), she has a tendency to speak like that when she isn't with the court or anything. And if Sakura seems a lot more comfortable (if that's the right word) with Sasuke, it's because they've spent a week (very boring, nothing happened) together already, and our boy's been able to reign in the "roar I'm such a man, cool ninja going around killing bad guys" blood lust a bit. If you guys have any more questions or anything, just drop a review, I'd also really appreciate it if in your reviews you tell me what you think Sasuke and Sakura's personalities are like. I have no idea if I'm steering them down the way I need them to go.

Thank you! (Shorter author notes next time, I promise.)

And did I mention that the next update is going to be up in a day or two tops? Because yes, I _was_ writing. Also, new longish two/three shot up later today, plus updates to **Steps. **


	4. Press Start

**Revolution**

**Chapter IV; Press Start  
**

**-**

**-**

"you can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present."

Jan Glidewell

**-**

**-**

"You must not fail at any cost. Or else all is lost—all that _you_ value will be lost."

The shadows barely flickered in the still death fire, but one silhouette shifted, breaking away from the darkness. The soft footfalls made no noise against the stone floor, and the quiet voice was nearly lost in the sudden flurry of beating wings, "That will not happen."

* * *

Sakura ignored the pointed look Ino sent her as the blond rifled through her expansive closet, searching for clothes to wear; she had been provided with a small set of plain servant wear, but Ino preferred the many soft, silken dresses piled in Sakura's room much more. The girl in question was sprawled across the bed, trying and failing to clear her mind.

"How many of these have you actually worn?" Ino emerged, looking scandalized by the sight of a particularly revolting green and purple gown.

She shrugged, not even bothering to roll over and look in her friend's direction.

Ino, apparently unperturbed by the lack of response, returned to digging through dresses. Her voice sounded deep from within the closet, "What kind of clothes do ladies in waiting usually wear anyways?"

"I don't know—I've never had one."

Ino reappeared again, holding a pile of Sakura's plainer dresses in her arms, "Are you kidding me? If I was a princess I'd have someone waiting on me hand and foot!"

The pinkette grinned, "Well, I've got you now, haven't I?"

Ino scoffed, dropping the pile on the next to her and reverently shaking out a particularly pretty sky blue dress, "No one will think I'm your maid if I'm wearing this."

The blond looked at her surreptitiously out of the corner of her eye, "Can I?"

Sakura smiled thinly, "Could I stop you?"

The two lapsed into companionable silence for a while before Sakura, frowning, sat up on the bed, running one hand through mussed pink hair.

"Ino, you said your whole team was here already. Where are they?"

Ino barely turned from the mirror, earlier clothing already thrown over the back of a chair and the dress halfway zipped, "In the kitchens. Chouji said he wanted to check out the food and Shikamaru said that it was too _troublesome_ to deal with the King," she grimaced, her voice the perfect imitation of a lazy drawl as she struggled to zip up the last of the dress, "Oi Sakura, a little help here?"

She got up and took hold of the zipper from Ino, making sure to not nick her skin, "So when am I going to meet them?"

Ino hummed in approval at her reflection in the full length mirror, brushing a few strands of hair back into place before throwing her image a sultry glance. She was beautiful, the blue fabric of the dress matching nicely with her eyes, her hair literally a _cascading waterfall of gold_ behind her back. Looking at the taller girl, Sakura felt small and drab in return, although at the same time she wasn't sure if she wanted to puke at the picture perfect image Ino made.

_You have pretty eyes._

"Answer much?" She prompted again.

"Oh, right. Tonight, dinner, whatever."

She snickered at her most definitely informal words, "I do not think that is how one speaks to her mistress, Ino-pig."

Ino snorted and pointedly rolled her eyes at the reflection of the smaller girl.

Sakura grinned in response, exhaling a happy sigh at finally having found the little shred of normalcy that she'd searching so long for.

* * *

Dinner was…awkward. Sakura smiled nervously around the large table that dominated most of the royal family's private dining room, eyeing each of the assembled in turn. Shikamaru she figured was the man with his hair tied back in a spiky ponytail, leaning lazily back in his chair and picking absentmindedly at the food. Chouji then was probably the one voraciously devouring his third plate. Ino sat next to him, looking mildly repulsed. Her father was alone at one head of the table, looking tired as he did every time they ate by themselves, while she sat at the other. It had been her seat, whether they had dinner here or in the banquet hall with the courtiers, ever since her mother died.

Sasuke brooded at her left hand corner, face grim and foreboding. There was no plate in front of him; he had refused dinner tonight, not unusual for the quiet nin. She absentmindedly traced the contours of his face with her eyes, not for the first time contemplating his resemblance to the stone monoliths that she'd studied; huge, unsmiling faces carved eons ago. There was certainly none of the cold grace of Sasuke present in the stone counterparts, but the expression-or lack thereof- was the same.

"I assume that you're all acquainted?"

The sudden intrusion of a human voice made everyone but Sasuke and Shikamaru start; her father was surveying the group imperially over clasped hands. Sasuke made no attempt at a response while Shikamaru busied himself with thumping on Chouji's back—it looked like he was choking on a piece of rib— so once again it was Ino that turned to the King with a polite smile on her face.

"Of course my team and I already know each other, but we haven't had the _pleasure_ of meeting Sasuke-san here yet," then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "and I think I'm the only one who's met Sakura-sama before."

It sounded odd to hear herself being addressed as _sama_ from Ino's lips, something that she'd once sworn that she would never do, but it was to be expected that the worse part of their past couldn't just be forgotten.

The King didn't give an inch. He merely took another sip of wine from the half empty goblet and said, "Well, it is a shame then that Nar—"

Sakura abruptly stood up, shoving the chair back so that the wooden legs scraped not so gently against the floor. The rude noise was a loud, discordant note in the game they were playing, and she made sure that her father knew that it was over.

"Excuse me."

The attendants that stood at close attention near the doors hurriedly scrambled to open it for her as she approached, but Sakura brushed them off, angry footsteps resounding long after the final sounding slam of the door.

Sasuke was up in a heartbeat, stalking almost impatiently after her. Shikamaru sighed knowingly while Ino stared at a spot over the King's shoulder, fuming.

Chouji gave one more hacking cough, and then finally looked up. He eyed the scene bemusedly, "What happened?"

* * *

Sasuke followed her into her rooms.

Sakura visibly tensed when he closed the door softly behind himself, but she ignored him, moving with hard eyes to a book laden shelf and slipping a particularly heavy looking medical text from its place. Mechanically, she sank into the fleur de lease patterned window seat, face bathed in uneven shadows from flickering candlelight. Sasuke made no move towards her, but stayed stationed by the door, sword strapped to his belt. His eyes though, remain trained on her, black and indecipherable.

The book groaned in Sakura's lap as she lifted a worn leather cover from pages yellowed with age. The noise of paper slipping over paper while she flipped through the pages was loud in the quiet of the room, and for a couple of minutes there was no other noise. Sasuke never once looked away from her face, gaze scrutinizing and speculating.

And then she slammed the book shut, tossing it to the side as she whipped her head up, green eyes snapping to meet his. Her face, now fully exposed in the lamplight, wore a pained expression. Her jaw remained set though, and it was obvious that this was a girl that loathed crying— detested laying her vulnerabilities out in the open, completely at odds with her emotional personality.

Sasuke wondered briefly what had happened.

"How did you end up working for Danzou?"

He didn't respond.

"I heard that you weren't always in Konoha. No one else had seen you before, where did you come from, why him?"

His face immediately darkened, like storm clouds massing in front of the moon. But their eyes remained locked, and he answered her truthfully, "I found that assisting him would benefit my own goals."

"Oh," she looked away, voice distant, "oh."

Something in her tone told him that there was a deeper meaning to her words, so when the girl didn't bother to continue he narrowed his eyes; "Who are you?"

_What are you then, if any better than I?_

She looked at him again with a faintly bitter smile on her lips, "I thought that a week of_ looking after a spoiled little girl all the time _taught you all you needed to know?"

He didn't rise to the bait, "That wasn't what I meant."

Sakura laughed, short and sharp, "It never is. It's always my position, the authority, being Princess, being Queen…" she trailed off softly, "It never is."

Suddenly three quick knocks in rapid succession sounded at the door, and Sakura jumped, immediately alert. Sasuke merely shifted to the side, clearing a path to the entrance, as he'd sensed the signature a while ago.

Ino burst in, and before she'd taken two steps towards Sakura the words were already tumbling from her mouth, "Oh my Kami! I'm _sorry_ Sakura, your father shouldn't have mentioned Naru-"

She abruptly stopped, finally seeing Sasuke. Her brows furrowed for a moment, almost as if in hostility, then relaxed.

Sakura shrugged, already up and moving towards the blond, hands diligently smoothing out her wine colored dress, "It's fine," at the incredulous look on her friend's face she smiled brightly, "No, really. You don't have to worry Ino, it doesn't matter anymore"

She took a deep breath, "I _do_ think that I might have left dinner a little too early though, what would really help was if you went and got some food with me." Smiling one last time, she finished crossing the last of the room and out the door, pulling the protesting blond along with her.

Not once did Sakura look back at Sasuke.

He followed, though he merely stood at the top of the stairs as Sakura and Ino made their way down the dimly lit hall. When the two girls disappeared around a corner, the shinobi tensed; _he had not been told all_.

Eyes narrowing, he brought the first foot down on the crumbling stairs and inadvertently stepped into a puddle of moonlight, cast by a high set window. The soft glow illuminated beautifully the blue black of his hair and the smooth planes of his face and then, _then_ as he walked forward towards his own rooms—the spinning red and black of the sharingan.

* * *

The small group of soldiers were easily overwhelmed by the sheer _number_ of people-peasants and bourgeoisie alike- that had banded together, pushing their way steadily down the road towards the palace. The mad, pulsating mob brandished their torches as if a weapon against the dark sky, the flames a backdrop against the swirl of angry, desperate faces all melting into one- _as_ one_._

They were but one autonomous collective, the dissonant shouts shifting into the same words, the same phrase; _princess, princess_

_-_princess!  


* * *

**a/n: **Thank you so much for all your reviews and support! :)

Like I said, much quicker update. Downside is that it's a lot shorter and probably not as well written, since I didn't have a month to agonize over every word. You probably have questions, but all will be answered in time! Unless you know, it's not really about plot, then I'll do the honors. Can't say much now because I just ran on to upload this, but I might edit it if it turns out there's a horrendous amount of errors when I have the time. Hope you enjoyed, and be sure to leave a review if you'd be so splendifforous.

Also- I CAN'T BELIEVE I GOT PAST THREE CHAPTERS WITH SOMETHING. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.


	5. Wide Open

**CONTENT IN CHAPTERS 2, 3, AND 4 HAVE BEEN EDITED, MOSTLY THE END OF 2 AND 4. IF YOU READ THOSE CHAPTERS BEFORE CHAPTER FIVE WAS UP, I HIGHLY SUGGEST THAT YOU AT LEAST SKIM THE ENDINGS AGAIN.  


* * *

**

**Revolution**

**Chapter V; Wide Open  
**

**-**

**-**

"out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there."

Jalal ad-Din Rumi

**-**

**-**

"_Sakura-hime! Sakura-_hime! Wake up-!"

_Sakura's sleep had been a fitful one, and though Ino's reappearance coupled with her father's moment of impropriety was first and foremost on her mind, the few words she'd exchanged with Sasuke weighed heavily too-_

The weight of cold hands settling around her shoulders and-

_The two friends had shared a small supper together in the quieter part of the kitchens; Ino herself earning odd stares from the staff, though they hadn't batted an eye when Sakura asked for two plates of food. Afterwards, when the blond had been reassured that she was, indeed, okay, the two parted ways in front of her chambers; her to her thoughts and Ino to her team-_

Then they were shaking her, gently but urgently, _beseechingly_-

_The canopy and the drapes over her bed had felt so confining, shrouding her, trapping the darkness. Sleep was only followed by uneasy dreams-_

"Wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open.

Someone stood over her, head bent. It was their hands that had woken her, their hands that were now quickly being snatched back.

"Sakura-hime!"

She could recognize the voice now; a maid, younger than Sakura by two or three years that she'd occasionally talked to whenever she took dinner in the kitchens. A scullery maid, her name was-

"Suzu?" Pushing herself up from the bed, she peered fruitlessly through the dark, trying to seek out the younger girl's features.

A candle suddenly guttered into life, and she was looking into the pale, frantic face of the maid. Shaking her head, the brunette merely tugged on Sakura's arm, pulling her out of bed. She barely had time to slip her shoes before she was suddenly running, feet stumbling in the wake of urgency as Suzu lead.

"Suzu, _Suzu_, what's wrong?!"

The girl gave a quiet little sob, strands of black hair escaping from her messy bun and spiraling into wild curls around her face, "You must come, Princess! My brother was guarding the front entrance, the People-the People's Army, they've, they're-"

Sakura's throat immediately tightened, and without waiting for further clarification quickened her pace to match the girl's, forcefully freeing her wrist from Suzu's tight grip, "Do you know what they want?"

As they moved closer to the main entrance of the castle, the halls that were at first empty and desolate became more and more crowded, courtiers, servants, and guards alike all swarming to the same place, drawn as if by magic. They cleared a pathway when they saw their future monarch racing past them, clad only in a nightgown, feet encased in the thinnest of slippers. Mumbles and whispers followed, but the sounds soon faded into the white noise of shouts and screams, and when she finally burst through the huge double doors and out into the night Sakura could only wonder how the din- the sheer _pandemonium_ of it all hadn't woken her on its own.

Suzu stopped just past the doors, unwilling to go any further, though her eyes still frantically combed the masses for a sign of her brother. When she finally answered Sakura's question, her voice was dry and solemn,

"You, Sakura-hime, they want _you_."

Her wide green eyes flickered over to the mad, roiling crowd, and suddenly they spotted her, and renewed at the sight of their goal, their efforts were doubled as they pushed and shoved and _rammed_, trying in vain to get to her, and the only person standing between the makeshift army and she was-

Sakura froze-

oh god.

Sasuke stood tall at the forefront of the small band of palace guards, katana raised but still unsheathed. The edges of the dark, loose fitting yukata he wore over black pants swirled in the wind, the same wind that whipped the dark hair from his face and dragged the breath from her lips.

_Dark, avenging angel of mine-!_

He was beating back the crowd, practiced blows glancing off of necks and backs, movements quick—too quick for the eyes to follow. But it was getting harder now, her sudden appearance fueling the throng. She _saw_ the annoyance in the movement of his shoulders as he suddenly drew forth blade from sheath, and then she could also see the crumpled bodies laying at his feet, could finally _move_ again and-

"Stop-_stop!_"

Sakura ran forward, nearly tripping on the long hem of her nightdress, and forced her way between Sasuke and the people. A multitude of faces peered out at her from under torchlight, and hands, desperate, clinging hands were suddenly grabbing her arms, a sleeve, any part of her that they could reach.

"Princess, healer! Help us! –"

"My son, they hurt him, please-"

"Why has nothing been done? No aid-"

"Has the King abandoned us? Princess-!"

"What, _do you think you're doing_?"

Sasuke's voice reached her through the wailing of the people, low and right besides her ear. She shuddered, back flush against his front, and edged backwards, attempting to shove him away from the frantic crowd.

"I can _handle_ this," she muttered to him, holding her hands out imploringly to those assembled, and said in a louder voice, "Kind sirs and madams! Please, if everyone would allow me some space, you will all be attended to!"

The masses quieted, all eyes fixed on the girl. The few guards still standing wilted at the scorching look Sakura sent them. Sasuke sheathed his blade, but more than one pair of eyes were still drawn to the simple black and white scabbard.

"Now what, good people, do you require so urgently of me that you saw the need to leave your homes and assemble at this ungodly hour of night?"

A man in the front, dressed in the coarse clothing of a farmer and clutching the still body of a woman that had been knocked out, gave a moaning cry, "A week past many in our towns and villages were either killed or hurt by a demon in the nighttime. My own son was taken by him. The King sent messengers assuring us that help and healers would come, and when none did, the towns sent some men to talk to _your_ father personally."

Sakura stilled, the breath leaving her body in an aching sigh, "And help…never came, is that correct?"

The man nodded, but then another, a woman this time, stepped forward, "It was said that the same who killed our own was after you! So we came, because we were desperate, because we were worried, oh Princess! You're supposed to bring glory to our kingdom; you said you would always listen! Were those all lies-?"

A loud moan came from behind Sakura, and Suzu suddenly ran forward, throwing herself down besides the body of a trampled guard. The people stared as she painstakingly cradled the youth's head between her arms, and then her brown eyes were fixed on Sakura's as she cried out, "Please…please help my brother…!"

The people, who had fallen silent, began clamoring once more at the girl's words. They dragged their own wounded to the front, demanding assistance, answers, aid, compensation, but the one thing that they all had in common was that they absolutely, positively expected Sakura to fix it all.

They were disregarding borders and boundaries and gates now, a horde, as one, advancing on her. Sakura bit back a frustrated sob, casting tired, _tired_ eyes over the many hurt tonight, and then the many more who bore signs of older, partially healed injuries.

_They were so many, and she only one._

She bit her lip, wondering who to help first, how to deal with it all, when her eyes fell on the figure of Suzu still hunched over her brother on the ground. The people paid no heed to the girl, and Sakura's eyes widened as she started forward towards the brunette, because _gods_ she was going to get _trampled_.

But then Sasuke was gripping her arm, forcefully pulling her away from the crowd. She hissed, yanking her arm back. Sasuke growled and tried to grasp her wrist again, but she evaded him and dove forward into the surging crowd, trying in vain to make her way to the prostrate bodies on the ground.

The tide of bodies soon separated her from Sasuke and ended his fruitless attempts at trying to retrieve her. Sakura finally managed to fight her way to Suzu's side, ignoring the way that the people were pressing up against her on all sides, and urged the sobbing girl to stand up, struggling to lift her brother from the floor. Someone in the crowd had managed to stomp on the man's chest. She swore, keeping her head down as probing hands felt the man's ribs; judging from the way the bones were protruding in awkward angles under her palms, she could tell that they were broken. There could be internal bleeding, she couldn't tell, not like this.

The energy inside of her automatically sprang to life, the customary green glow enveloping her hands as she let the mask slip. The peasants were drawn to the sight as if moths to flame, and even though she knew it was foolish of her, impossible for her to help so many, she cried out, "Please! Let me tend to this one first and then everyone will get a turn!"

She could tell that they barely heard her over the din they were making, but her words appeared to only incite the few that did, and angry shouts about lies and favors soon brought the noise to a new level. She braced herself against the onslaught of bodies, futilely trying to shield the trembling girl and the body of her still brother. Dimly she could hear another commotion by castle gates, and then with horror she realized the crowd was pushing her farther and farther away from the entrance.

Then she was also suddenly aware of where exactly Sasuke was, separated from her by just a few people, and she could feel, just like before, the killing intent as he drew his blade, except this time, there would be nothing that she could do to stop him.

Sakura tightened her hold on the shaking body in her arms, closed her eyes, and waited for the death screams to follow.

None came.

The noise-the yelling, the shouts, the cries-it all stopped.

There was only silence.

She opened her eyes.

The King, surrounded by a full guard, stood by the opened gates to the palace. His gaze swept the masses at his feet, stony gaze regarding each in turn. Sakura could see the shadowy figures of Ino and her team at the back.

"What," his voice rang out into the night, "is happening here?"

* * *

This time, there was no study. There were no two story tall bookcases flanking them, no books, no personal artifacts and papers scattered on a large desk. There was no man that appeared to sink into the chair he sat in, the deepening lines on his face full of worry and doubt about a kingdom and a daughter.

This time there was no father. Instead, there was only a King.

This time, there was a throne room, walls bare, the intricate scroll work cold and lifeless. They rose high and immense to a vaulted ceiling, supported by huge white pillars on either side. The man sat erect on a unyielding throne, still dressed in his traveling clothes, although the crown, glinting in the torchlight, was settled around his brow. He looked over them, gaze cool and impersonal.

Sasuke stared apathetically back.

A few steps in front of him Sakura glared at the King, still dressed only in her thin nightdress. The cotton garment hung long and loose over her body, and he knew it wouldn't have been enough to combat the chill of a winter night.

His eyes flashed; but then again, he seemed to have misjudged a lot of things tonight.

Then the King said, "You should not have done that Sakura."

He heard her take a breath, perhaps gathering strength for whatever was to come, perhaps to stall-

"Then was I supposed to have just ignored them then? They are _your_ subjects, the very people that, when you took kingship, you swore to look after and protect. Was I supposed to deny them even a few words of comfort and a helping hand when you yourself have already denied so much?"

Gathering strength then.

"To the best of my ability! To rule, one must have _priorities_. Some sacrifices have to be made."

His words echoed in the immense space, empty except for a pair of guards standing sentinel by the doors and they.

(Sasuke, despite himself, agreed about sacrifices.)

"What else can be more important that the welfare of your people?"

Sakura's words were quiet, condemning, the weight of them holding them down, tying the letters and syllables together at her father's feet, exactly where she threw them. They had no echo.

This girl, and her words, Sasuke could tell, made the King nervous. He broke his gaze with the Princess, eyes sliding to somewhere beyond their shoulders. The height, the elevated throne made no difference. He watched as the King's hands curled into loose fists on the armrests of his seat. Sakura's remained limp, relaxed at her side. He had just watched those same hands heal a man tonight, the same hands enveloped in what could be nothing else but chakra. He had felt the energy flare into life, but now, as they stood less than three feet away, there was nothing.

He wondered.

There weren't many aristocrats, especially those who considered themselves royalty-and none that Sasuke knew, known-that would've risked themselves like that for a mere palace guard, for a maid, for "_commoners_". And definitely none that would've actually considered any demands they made- none that would've tended to them with their own hands.

Either this girl was much stupider than he'd first thought, or there was more-_she_ was more.

Sasuke dispassionately wondered why he favored the former.

(But of course he knew the truth.)

"The good of the kingdom is not the same as the good of the people. I was trying to protect you, to spare you of a burden or two," the King's eyes wandered back to his daughter's face, "The nobles that were present tonight, they demand that since you deemed it appropriate to grace a mere mob with your presence, that they should have you too. They are calling for a gathering to discuss…diplomatic matters that they considered you silent on for far too long. Listen to them, you did well enough and more for that _people's army_," his eyes tightened when Sakura opened her mouth to retort, "You cannot refuse. If you do, they will pull funding for the army. How would you like _that_ to hang over your head, my daughter?"

She slumped, head bowed, finally resigned.

And then, "The people that came tonight, and the injured guards. They need healers. And compensation," she looked up, green eyes hard, "They will receive it."

His mouth twisted; but not defeated.

* * *

Sakura wandered the now empty halls absentmindedly, tired but too strung up to sleep. The deserted corridors were only lit by the odd flickering torch, and even though the cold air nipped at her skin under the thin dress she stayed away from her chambers, her feet automatically taking her to the Hall of Windows. The grandiose space was empty, and completely and utterly devoid of torches or candelabrums. Instead moonlight streamed through the two story floor to ceiling windows, which opened out onto the south lawn of the palace.

Her footsteps echoed off the walls as she made her way across the room, and even though she could hear nothing from behind her, she knew Sasuke followed as well.

She finally stopped in front of a window, and pushed the panels that she knew was really a door. Each of the openings were designed this way, so that the entrances were indiscernible from the rest. As she slipped past the frame and slumped on one of the delicate benches outside, she expected to hear a word, or even feel a gaze, of scathing remand from Sasuke. Instead, he only silently stepped out after her and settled against the wall of glass, one hand still loosely wrapped around his sword.

Sakura darted a quick glance at his face, and followed his gaze to the horizon; a dark, inky indigo decorated with whorls of stars. They stayed like this for a while, looking out to the swirls of light, the silence lulling her into a false sense of comfort. Even though the wind that had been raging only an hour prior had quieted, the winter night oddly calm, her skin was still cold to the touch. It didn't matter; tonight, the walls of her rooms would feel too confining, the sky and the stars always out of sight, out of reach.

She suddenly shivered in the slight breeze, arms curling around her shoulders for warmth. The sudden movement dragged Sasuke's eyes back to her, and she smiled at the look in them, "You think that I'm a fool too, don't you?"

His answer was blunt, "Yes."

Her smile widened, but it remained tightlipped, "But no one ever asks why."

He only looked at her.

Sakura allowed herself five seconds of indulgence before she looked away. His gaze did not falter. She took that as invitation enough to keep talking, her voice a low whisper, "I am theirs; we're theirs. Being…a ruler is one of the worst burdens in the world. These people, _my_ people, they pledge themselves to my father and I; they give us all the power without ever realizing what a terrible thing it is. We have to protect them, look over them, provide prosperity for posterity…"she trailed off, "My father, he's a good man-misguided, but a good man nonetheless. He understands the first part; he knows that he has to provide for the kingdom. But he thinks that the only way to do that is to get more power."

Sakura sighed, hands reaching up to rub tired eyes, "He tries so hard, but he still misses the whole."

She grinned, finally, sadly, at the hint of bemusement on Sasuke's normally blank face, "I have a feeling that you're the same kind of person."

They had just started to lapse into silence again when he spoke, "You're shinobi."

She looked up at him, amused, "Just because a person can cook one thing doesn't make him a chef. I'm a healer, a doctor. I think you call them med-nin?"

Sasuke slanted her a look, and Sakura shook off the feeling of being intensely scrutinized, "You can mold chakra. You've been masking it all this time."

She shrugged, lying easily, "Sure, I'm adept at it, but does the ability to handle a pen make someone a great writer? I've never been taught jutsu or how to fight."

He snorted, and Sakura grinned in success. "You," he said, "make terrible analogies."

Sakura laughed, a small huff of breath. This Sasuke, the one with the voice and the dry, caustic comments was nothing like the Sasuke she first met that night, nothing even like the Sasuke of an hour ago, all too willing to bring down innocents. She couldn't stop the words from slipping out, "You would kill so meaninglessly? For a mission?"

He didn't miss a beat, and said simply, "I would kill."

She took a deep, shuddering breath, steadying herself, his quiet words bringing on a dizzying rush of visions of Sasuke as she'd first seen him, blood splattered, poised over the fallen- dangerous. Strangely, she couldn't embrace those images, that dreadful, paralyzing fear as before.

Sasuke sighed, exhaling through his nose, and opened the door for her. Starting, Sakura realized that she had stood up.

"You should get some rest Princess."

He was once again expressionless, his eyes once again watching something unseen over the horizon. He hadn't been looking at the stars, she now knew.

_So many unreachables._

Sakura didn't want to leave, not yet, but she walked through the opened doorway anyways.

She wondered what had changed.

* * *

**a/n:** First, business. As you guys know, if you saw the huge, hold words at the top of the chapter at all, edits for every single chapter have been made. The main content changes again, were at the end of chapters...2, 3, and 4. Basically a small change to the canon history or Naruto and set up for the huge mob scene here (gotta love your mobs). If you didn't want to reread it, it basically removes Tsunade from the equation. I figured if Sasuke wasn't in Konoha at the time of the Chunin exams (along with other reasons) Orochimaru wouldn't have been present either, and though the the bit with Gaara (sans Sasuke and Sakura) took place, Sarutobi wouldn't have been killed.

Now that's out of the way, what did you guys think? I know it's been a month, but the chapter's reasonably lengthy (poll on my profile says that you guys prefer this, even if it's just two to one, so...), and this was honestly the fastest I could write it while still feeling okay with the quality. This was honestly my favorite chapter to write, especially the opening scene and Sakura's interaction (kind of) with the people. Was it okay? (And HAH, guess who's starting to kind of almost reasonably tolerate each other?)

I really hope you guys like this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, and as usual, I read and appreciate each and every review you send my way, rather it be concrit or a plain "good chapter". Thank you for your support (and Happy Halloween!)!

So much for short author notes. -.-


	6. Crescendo

**Revolution**

**Chapter VI; Crescendo  
**

**-**

**-**

"he who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still"

Lao Tzu

-

-

The day came gray and heavy, dark clouds crowding the sky overhead. The princess laid slumped under the covers of her bed, face pressed against a pillow. Her eyes were open though, the dark bruises under them stark against her pale face.

Sakura sighed when she heard the doors creak open in the adjoining room, and then sat up, bracing her weight on her elbows. When she looked up, she met Ino's expressionless blue eyes staring back down at her. Sakura scowled, the quickness of the ninja's movements reminding her of someone else.

"You look like the living dead."

"Yes _pig, _I'm well aware of that." She snickered at the look on Ino's face, swinging her legs over the side of her bed, feet banging against the blond's hip.

The offended girl scoffed, stepping quickly to the side, "Learn to be more graceful _princess_."

Sakura grinned, which quickly turned into a yawn. Sliding off the bed, she made her way into her closet as she called over her shoulder, "What's the matter? I'm sure you didn't come this early just to give me a personal wake up call."

"Aa, she didn't."

Sakura jumped within the recess of the dark space, her head bumping painfully against some shelves overhead, all of a sudden overwhelmingly glad that she still had her clothes on.

Her back remained turned on the slightly ajar door of the walk-in, a dress clutched to her covered chest.

"Oh, er-good morning Sasuke-san!"

"Your kunoichi just left. She had some business to attend to."

His voice seemed closer now. Arranging her face carefully, Sakura turned, starting at his nearness. Sasuke stood in the doorway between the closet and the rest of her room, his frame blocking out most of the light that streamed through the open space.

"Then did she tell you what she needed me for?"

Sasuke's eyes followed her as she moved towards the door. Just as she was starting to despair about how to get past his immobile form, he stepped aside, "The audience with the court; the king arranged it tonight."

_So soon?_

"Oh," she dropped the dress over the back of a vanity chair before sinking into it herself, "and why did you need to see me so early?"

"It's late afternoon."

Sakura whirled around to the small clock mounted on the table, eyes widening when she spotted the numerals the hands were pointing to, "But it's already-!"

"The King said I'm not going to be accompanying you."

She sighed, brows still crinkled in distress at the time, "That's to be expected, court audiences are private. But that doesn't exactly answer my question."

Sasuke stood there scrutinizing her for a minute more, and then walked past the girl as if she hadn't said anything at all, "Hey-!"

"Don't make my job any harder than it needs to be."

Sakura sat in the chair, an odd half smile on her face lingering long after the doors had swung shut.

* * *

The remainder of the afternoon passed alarmingly quickly for Sakura. With the castle still in an uproar over the previous night's insurgency, none of her lessons, which had been suspended ever since the night of her attempted assassination, had resumed. What time she had left before the meeting she spent pacing the length of her rooms, going over every argument and counter argument she could need for later in her head.

The passage of time only made itself apparent to Sakura when deep red and orange beams broke through the clouds to splash itself at her feet. She swore, quickly and quietly under her breath, a weary hand rubbing tired eyes.

The clock, Sakura noticed, pointed to somewhere around five, which meant someone would come and fetch her before long. There wasn't much she could do until then, she guessed, but wait. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock permeating from her bed chamber and the occasional rustle of clothing. Sighing, she dropped into the stiff, high backed chair placed by the book laden table, green eyes sweeping over the cream colored walls and the high windows that broke its blank expanse before her. The aged, gold candelabras glinted in the glow of the sunset, unlit against the backdrop of the walls.

Sakura, completely still and pensive, wondered absentmindedly if she would have to light the candles soon when the doors suddenly banged open behind her.

The pinkette didn't even bother turning around, "Ino, ninja are supposed to be quiet and discreet."

"_Why are you still in your night clothes?"_

Sakura winced, then nearly fell off her chair as Ino tried yanking her away by a white sleeve, "I didn't need to leave my room today or anything so-!"

The blond rolled her eyes, tugging Sakura insistently through a doorway and then slamming her into her vanity chair, "The meeting is in an hour, have you eaten yet? I saw Sasuke haunting your door when I came in, he probably scared away all the maids. This won't do though, why did you cut your hair? There's absolutely no way you can see the court like this, I don't want my name to be attached to anyone looking like this-"

Sakura reached out and gripped Ino's wrist with a hand. Smiling tiredly at her friend's reflection in the mirror, she whispered, "Thank you Ino."

Ino paused, frowning at Sakura's pallid image, then huffed, her head turned to the side, "You need to take better care of yourself. What happens when I have to go back to Konoha again? At the rate you're going, wrinkles are going to start appearing before you're in your thirties."

She laughed, fingering a short strand of shoulder length rosette hair, her voice trailing off in a whisper "No, we wouldn't want that, would we…?"

_Sakura-chan would look pretty with short hair!_

* * *

"Have you been standing there all day?"

Sasuke didn't answer at first, black, fitted clothes and the silent tread of his booted feet making him almost as much a part of the darkness as the shadows quickly condensing in the halls of the castle.

"It is my mission."

Sakura smiled brightly, adjusting a few folds of the simple royal blue dress Ino had chosen earlier, "I see."

He didn't respond, staying just out of sight behind her. The silence became so absolute that Sakura was almost convinced that she was walking the stone and marble halls alone. Before long the polished double doors to the receiving hall loomed in front of her.

"Ninja-san, you must stop here."

The sound of hard soles against the marble floor came from behind Sakura, and then Sasuke was standing in front of her. He nodded slightly to the guard that had addressed him, then settled against the wall.

She froze at the expectant looks both men bestowed on her, fear involuntarily flitting across her face. She relaxed in a split second, smiled benignly at the two men, then detachedly found her hands reaching out towards the doors.

_Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, _Sakura-chan, _I'm sorry sorry so so sorry…_

Sakura stopped, the lithe muscles of her back and shoulders rigid, one hand already braced against the cold black marble of the door. Then, because she could still be a little afraid and just a bit lost deep, deep inside, she drew comfort from Sasuke's words; words that, like him, spoke just a little deeper under the surface.

_"Don't make my job any harder than it needs to be."_

No, that much she could promise him.

She wasn't aware of opening the doors or slipping through the entrance; one moment she was staring at an expanse of hard marble and then the next she was looking up into the painted faces of the assembled court.

They sat on curved rows of stone benches that formed a semi-circle around two throne-like chairs in one end of the room. Her father sat in the smaller of the two, and suddenly Sakura knew that this was just another way of punishing her.

The entrance had been situated to the back of the semi-circle, but all faces turned to her at the sound of her arrival.

Slowly, the nobles all stood before descending into bows and curtsies. The gestures were mocking, eyes never lowered respectably to the ground. The multitude of faces, all calculating, some malicious, followed her agonizingly slow walk to the chair in the front.

Her father inclined his head at her approach,

"Thank you for joining us tonight, my daughter."

She dipped her head in return, then sat, the hard backing of the chair digging into her spine. The court waited for hesitation, but then she was already beginning, voice clear and confident in the space of the hall.

"I understand that everyone here tonight needed to speak to me about some issues that the past month have raised, is that correct?"

There was a general murmur of consent, and then a man, old enough for his dark hair to be sprinkled with gray, stood, sweeping into another quick, fluid bow before addressing Sakura.

"My lady, we have all been aware of the unrest among the common people and the situation regarding the Akatsuki assassin. We worry about the stability of both the kingdom and our assets with it. This kingdom has waited many generations for you, surely now would be the best time for you to use your power-?"

He was Haroto Kana, the head of a powerful family that has been a major backer of the crown for several generations, either through funding or political advantages in exchange for the expansion of the family's wealth and influence.

Sakura sized him up in an instant, the cold clinical part of her detachedly noting the way her other half burned with anger at the suggestion, at the insinuation, at the very _hint_ of what he, what they _all_ wanted her to do.

"No. This has been settled ever since my birth. I fail to see how war would benefit this kingdom and its people in any way."

Her voice was calm, dangerously so as she tenuously held onto the control that she'd practiced for so many years. She didn't dare look at her father's face, for fear of what she would find there. If rage, then at whom? At the courtier's blasphemy or her own refusal?

"But let's be realistic, princess! There are not many countries left in the world that hasn't been integrated into the shinobi ways. Fire covers a vast territory that I'm sure the nin-countries will begin to covet sooner or later. It does not have to be a war," he paused, and in that instant it was clear to her as never before that the other dozen or so nobles all watching the exchange agreed with him, that every single one of the people that she'd helped last night also wanted the exact same thing, "if you were just willing to use your power, it will mean a sure-fire victory."

It was ironic that the one time that the people of her kingdom finally agreed, the decision would be the wrong one to make.

"You do not know that. The power of the demon is very unpredictable, if unleashed...there is no guarantee that I can control it. To release it is one thing, to be able to…use his power will be another, especially if the vessel is to remain unharmed."

Her hands trembled under the voluminous folds of the dress as she fought to keep her voice steady, to prevent herself from rising and yelling obscenities at the _foolish_ people gathered here in this room. _None of them had any idea what they were asking of her_.

A woman spoke up now, sneering. Hide Kata, younger than Haroto; young enough to have been asked to play with and watch over Sakura when she was six or seven, and a heiress of another prominent family, "I always thought your highness was a little too close to the vessel. You have always had an unusual attachment to shinobi, have you not?"

Sakura dug her nails into her thigh, focusing on the meager pain rather than the sudden urge to gouge the woman's eyes out.

Hide smirked, "Even now, with your handsome little guard…I wonder what the princess and her _dark knight_ has been doing with all their time alone…"

"That is enough Hide-san!"

The King had barely finished speaking when he was interrupted by another courtier, because everyone knew who held the real power here, "Ah, but didn't you agree with us, your majesty? Now that Sakura-hime is of age and has undergone all the training necessary, it was you yourself that assured us that the princess would be willing, eager even to help us insure the peace and prosperity of the kingdom. Or were those pretty words just for the money we were loaning to the service of the army at the time?"

The man sat down in a sickeningly self-satisfied way. Somewhere to her left Sakura could hear her father's sharp intake of breath. The pressure of her nails pressing against skin increased through the barrier of her skirts.

Of course, why should she have expected any more?

Her lips parted to speak, but Haroto interjected before she could verbally express any one of the multitudes of scathing remarks she held at the ready.

"Also, Danzou-san has personally hinted, against the orders of his Hokage might I add, that Konoha has been viewing Fire, and Sakura-sama personally, as a threat for quite some time now. It is best that we act as soon as possible," Haroto's cutting brown eyes met Sakura's immovable green as he finished, "if not for the kingdom's sake, then at least for the heir to the throne's."

This was a revelation to her, if her father felt the need was pressing enough, he could ultimately force her to agree-

_Naruto!_

Sakura's next words left her lips in a rush of breath, propelled by anger and indignation, terror and the kind of blind panic that could only lend itself to calm, "If Danzou-san feels like there should be something said about all of this, then he should come and speak to the King and I himself. The decision remains unchanged. Fire will honor whatever peace it has held with Leaf for almost two decades. I will not start a war and sacrifice countless innocents just because of a _rumor_. If this matter, _which has been and will remain settled_, is the only reason the audience has been called, then I see no reason why it should continue any longer."

Her father was looking at her, she knew, but she ignored him, rising from the stone seat and almost giving an involuntary sigh of relief as the pain in her back vanished. The room watched in silence as she swept down the hall and towards exit. Her hands were already resting on the door when the woman from earlier, Hide, gave an almost imperceptible scoff.

"I bet she's sleeping with that guard of hers. That pink haired freak's always been too _close_ to those shinobi monsters of hers, it makes sense that she'd take it to the next level, if you get my meaning-"

Sakura stilled, back turned to the audience-

_they were all here just to watch the show_

-and tried her best to concentrate on breathing normally (in, out, in, out).

_Sakura-chan will be alright when I'm gone, won't you?_

"_That's enough Hide!_"

The woman had talked in a whisper, but in the previous silence of the room, the words has carried, and now her father's enraged bellow was trying to cut off the condescending voice, but Sakura knew, she _knew_ that he would be unable to do a thing.

Hide continued as if uninterrupted, "-not that I'd blame her. He _is _very good to look at-"

She counted in her head, slowly, ignoring memories and surroundings, her chakra building, slipping out from under the soul-tight mask it was bound in. And then all of a sudden the slick surface of the door disappeared from underneath her hands, and Sakura felt herself pitch forward, almost falling, then she was being caught by a pair of strong, relentless arms.

She looked up into a pair of hard, jet black eyes.

_His hands were surprisingly warm.  


* * *

_

_  
_**a/n: **Thank you so much for your reviews! They helped me keep going even when I'm panicking about the monumental amount of work I still have to do this week.

This still technically counts as the December update, riiiiight? _Ahem_, anyways, I hope this answers at least some questions regarding Naruto, although his role in Sakura's past might still be pretty unclear to everyone at this point.

Some notes; Actually, I forgot what I was going to say here. So if anyone finds anything confusing, that it was probably meant to be clarified in this section. I apologize! I can answer you questions if you leave it in a review or message, of course. :] I'm too tired to really say anything else right now, but once again, thank you for your kind reviews and continued support, I know it's been a while but, well, I guess I just gotta hope you guys are still reading. Also, I couldn't bring myself to proof read this more than once, so I'm sorry (again) for any errors you might find in the text.

On something kind of not really related; I wish the manga would just end already.


	7. Interlude

**Revolution**

**Chapter VII; Interlude**

**-**

**-**

"what we see depends mainly on what we look for."

John Lubbock

-

-

Sasuke only held her for a moment-touch impersonal-before Sakura was standing back on her own two feet, the doors swinging to a close behind her. She immediately sidestepped his immobile form and started away from the door, but she didn't dare look up just yet, for fear that whatever emotions Hide's words had caused still lingered.

"Your chakra flared."

Hearing the unasked question in his voice, she took a breath to steady herself and looked over her shoulder with a ready smile, "It was stupid—I just lost my temper."

He didn't question her further but she could feel him scrutinizing her from behind. With a jolt, she realized that the guard from before was gone and they were alone.

She kept still for a second more, the tips of her fingers inches away from his when she inadvertently recalled the warmth of his hand around her arms just moments before, then almost instantly she remembered Hide's comments about her supposed...indiscretions with Sasuke. Angry and just as suddenly unsettled now, she moved from the still man and started away from the door and its room full of vipers, Sasuke following close behind.

They almost made it past half the length of the hall when the double doors opened again. Sakura didn't allow herself to look back towards the multitude of footsteps resounding from behind—she keeps her eyes forward instead, hands curled loosely at her side. Sasuke maintained his languid pace next to her.

"Hide-sama was right; he is _very_ good looking…"

"Pity he's given to _her_ just because she's the princess-."

Two ladies, probably minor courtiers or retainers, soon overtook them, deliberately brushing against Sasuke in a sweep of rustling fabric and perfume. But the man didn't acknowledge them, and Sakura refused to look at them or to give any indication that she'd heard, although of _course_ she had—the mock whispers they'd used carried through the whole hall, and the rest of the nobles, most of them woman, soon began talking amongst themselves when they saw that she would remain silent.

Sakura couldn't, however, hear the heavy steps of her father anywhere behind her, but Hide herself soon caught up to the pair, her gait a slow, sultry stroll. She tossed Sasuke a look from beneath her lashes before addressing Sakura from behind a small, gold-edged fan, "It was _very_ rude to just leave like that Sakura-hime. I hope it was not anything that _I_ said."

Sakura gave her a cursory curve of the lips, "No, I assure you that it was not."

Hide's smile grew wider, and she could see the older woman reveled in the power her family's wealth held over her father, over herself, "I could see why you would be so eager to get back to Sasuke-kun here though. But all the best for our Hime-sama, he is a very _good_ guard, no?"

Sakura didn't miss the way Sasuke's hand grazed the handle of his katana. She herself paled a little at Hide's insinuations, but her face was a mask of polite calm as they finally rounded the corner that would bring them to separate ways, "As you say, Hide-san," when it looked like the woman had no intention of leaving, Sakura continued, a hint of steel edging into her voice, "I was under the impression that your rooms were _that_ way? I am a bit busy this evening, but if you feel that you have something of importance to speak to me about, then by all means we can schedule a conference—"

Hide looked taken aback for a second, closing her fan with a snap, "Oh _no_, of course I do not wish to burden Hime-sama's _busy _schedule. Just talking between old friends, yes? I will," she bowed, the curve of her spine mocking underneath the rich fabrics of her dress, "take my leave then."

Sakura didn't bother to wait for the woman to rise, so she almost missed the knowing smile that split Hide Kata's face as they left.

* * *

Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eye as she paced the room, the heels of her shoes clicking rhythmically against the veined marble floor of the Hall of Windows; it was, he had found out, a favorite haunt of the princess.

Earlier, when he had felt her chakra rise and falter, he'd had no idea what had gone on behind those closed doors, but it had to have been bad if the girl's perfect control had slipped for even a second. He didn't know what to expect when he parted those doors, but it was certainly not to have his charge bodily stumble into him.

The room of haughty courtiers and the last soft snickers told him all he needed to know about what had happened, and he couldn't help the tightening of his eyes—something so trivial as playing court had gotten to her? Had he given the girl too high of an opinion?

But she didn't react when the woman—Hide Kata according to his files—insulted her. His hand had automatically gone to his sword when he felt her chakra stir uncomfortably at the woman's jabs, but the flare was gone immediately, the discrepancy vanishing and replaced with a placid veneer as quickly as it had rose.

Her control was, admittedly, admirable.

Sasuke's gaze continued to follow Sakura's shadow against the stunning backdrop of the night sky through clear, paneled walls. Tonight, the candelabrum and torches had been lit, casting light on marble floor and high, glass topped roof, but the single chandelier remained dark at the pinnacle of the peaked ceiling, creaking ominously every now and then in a draft.

No, petty comments couldn't have been the only reason for whatever it was that had disturbed her. There was, Sasuke thought, something deeper going on. But for now…

Clinically noting her wavering face, he called out; "It didn't go well?"

She stopped, one hand still in the middle of fiddling with her hair, "As if you care."

The candles cast shadows across the grim line of her mouth. When he answered, his tone was decidedly colder, "You're right, I don't."

Silence followed. His gaze slid from her, but there was no mistaking the sound of the heels of her shoes clicking across the floor towards his position at the entrance of the hall.

"I'm sorry."

His eyes flickered towards her face, the apology catching him off guard, though the only thing to show for it was the smallest rise of an eyebrow.

"I…just. I know that I'm supposed to be able to handle everything," she paused, one hand at her mouth and the other still running roughly through her pink hair, "but sometimes…sometimes …"

Sasuke waited.

Her voice trailed off, but as the last echoes of her sentence faded, she smiled at him, that hard tight curve of the mouth that he'd come to expect from her.

"It's nothing."

And then she was looking at the double doors next to him, big, two storey oak doors set into the only wall that paneled with glass. It was obvious that it was the clear sound of footsteps from the other side that had caught her attention.

She continued staring intently at the closed doors as she mouthed a word underneath her breath. His eyes narrowed—a name?

The footsteps sounded in sharp staccato thuds and, he noticed, as they became louder, the girl stiffened respectively.

Her glance never wavered from the doors, and when they finally opened to reveal the king, for once free of his contingent of guards, her expression was of someone too long wary—expectant.

Father and daughter held each other's gaze for a moment, and then the king shifted. The girl—the princess seemed to take it as some sort of signal, and with a distracted tug on his sleeve started to follow the departing King through the door. The familiarity and ease of the gesture startled Sasuke, and when he walked after her it was with a grim look on his face.

* * *

Anxiety might be the word Sakura would use to describe her feelings as she walked down the palace halls after her father. Anxiety, with a hundred different shades of doubt and fear, laid over smooth by the type of longing brought on by memories. On top of it all, she wore an absentminded calm like a habit.

The King led her through a set of familiar marble hallways to the doors of his study, oddly left ajar, faint rays of lamplight penetrating the small crack. Sakura looked up at the King questioningly, but he only shook his head, one hand already reaching out for the handle.

Danzou greeted them on the other side.

Sakura automatically looked over her shoulder to Sasuke, and by the rigid set of his shoulders she could tell he hadn't expected the one eyed man either.

The elder in question stood rather than sat by the chair reserved for guests across from the King's own seat. His traditional pale grey robes were a good match for his lined, wrinkled skin, though the numerous bandages covering the right side of his face were a starched white. His posture and expression was benign and unaffected, but at the very sight of him Sakura almost flinched, mind already racing back to what Haroto had said at the conference earlier.

_He wouldn't really-!_

The King coughed, the ubiquitous sound drawing the room's attention. He'd already sat soundlessly into his chair when he spoke, "Sakura, I was supposed to tell you this at the conference earlier, but you left before I had a chance,"-the girl in question flushed, but she held her father's steady gaze-"that is, a fortnight from now the Hyuuga will be making a dignitary visit now that you are sixteen."

Sakura's brows furrowed, "But why now-?"

Danzou interrupted before the King could respond, "As you should know Haruno-san, the Hyuuga are one of the only clans that have maintained both their clan status in Leaf as well as their aristocracy in Fire. Every time the successor to the throne turns sixteen, delegates and the head of the clan will be sent as both a show of good faith and as an opportunity for both heirs to discuss the Hyuuga's place at court during the new reign. Traditionally a formal gala was always thrown in celebration of the continued peace between Leaf and Fire, of which the Hyuuga plays an integral part," he paused, eyeing Sakura, "although of course it is understandable if the princess does not feel ready yet with everything that has already happened."

It was a challenge.

Sakura raised opaque green eyes to Danzou's murky gray and said, very deliberately, "No. Tell them to come."

The King smiled, obviously relieved, "Excellent, the Hyuuga will be informed then. But there is one more thing—in regard to the events that have occurred lately, I think that it should be best if the princess doesn't venture out of the castle," the lines between his brows deepened at the first sign of an outburst from Sakura, "it already has been decided in _your best interest._ No arguments," he turned towards Danzou, "And thank you for the news regarding the Hokage Danzou-san, Fire will react accordingly. Did you need anything else?"

Her eyes widened, _react accordingly_? Her mouth opened in protest, but Danzou had already resumed speaking, "Actually, I would like to have a word with Sasuke-kun. Just a progress report, I assume he has been satisfactory so far?"

Sasuke stepped out from behind her, and, dazed, Sakura realized the question was directed at her, "Ah, um, yes. He has been great so far."

Danzou nodded, "I heard of the trouble with the People's Army, I am glad our nin were able to assist you, thought it would have been the best, in my opinion, to have squashed them thoroughly. I heard that they were all set free with no punishment? No matter, I would like to talk to Sasuke-kun _now_ if possible."

Sakura made an indignant noise, but the King stopped her with a warning glance. Getting up, her father nodded in acquiescence to Danzou and motioned for her to follow him out of the room. The door finally closed on Sauske's back.

She opened her mouth the second the door closed, "What were you talking about with Danzou?"

Her father paused mid-step, "Sakura, we must trust Danzou-san. Don't forget that he is the reason that you are safe and sound here today."

Sakura, head bowed, nodded mutely even though he couldn't see her. The increasingly distant sounds of the King's footsteps told her exactly how much her response meant to him.

She waited until he disappeared down the next hall before raising her head again. With one last glance at the empty hallway, she made her decision. In hindsight, it was probably a stupid one, but her mind was so muddled by everything that had already happened today that it seemed at the time the best possible thing that she could've done—she stayed by the door to eavesdrop.

It was a simple plan; use the tiniest bit of chakra while still keeping it masked to enhance her hearing, and when it seemed like the conversation was just about to finish she would quickly move away to a less incriminating distance and pretend that she'd been waiting for Sasuke, after all, he was supposed to be her bodyguard, it was only natural that she needed to stay close to him at all times.

It wasn't too difficult to mask her chakra completely even if small amounts were used, and Sakura relished the feeling of the cool, green energy flowing through her body. After adjusting the flow a bit, she stepped closer to press her ear to the door. Sakura briefly wondered how this would look to anyone passing by, but there was no reason for any servants to be around at this time of the day, her father's study was in a rather remote corner of the castle after all and—the sudden voices made her jump.

Pressing her ear more intently to the wooden door, she could just make out the faintest threads of conversation, first Danzou's reed-rough voice; "…you must succeed. But you cannot do this alone."

Then Sasuke's answer in a low tenor, "I refuse."

A slight pause, and then, "Then tell me, how is it going? Do you think you can succeed while being _yourself_? No. How long do you think that tiny amount will last? She will be joining you soon, though—"

"No."

There was another pause before Danzou spoke again, the edge in his voice matching Sasuke's point by point, "We shall see about that."

Sakura waited for more sounds, but none came. Heart racing, she bit her lip in thought, do what alone? Was Danzou doubting Sasuke's abilities? And _what_ would last? Who would be joining him soon? Was she going to get another guard? The only thing that made sense to her was Sasuke's aversion to a partner; even after spending just a week or two with him she could tell that he was one who always preferred to work alone.

Then the door was suddenly swinging open and—

"…!"

—Sakura was suddenly looking up at Sasuke's impassive face from her very dignified seat on the floor.

Danzou appeared next, a satisfied smile on his face, "Well, I am glad to see that our princess' chakra control is as flawless as ever. I will talk to you later Sasuke. Next time I will remember to never tear her away from your presence again."

Mortified at the furious blush spreading across her cheeks, Sakura could only gawk unattractively at Danzou's retreating form.

"Um, ah, I'm so sorry, I wasn't—"

Sasuke stopped her blabbering attempts at an explanation with a glare, "Get up."

She complied wordlessly, eyes downcast, but not before she caught a glimmer of glass peeking out under the dark folds of his clothes.

* * *

"Am I close?" Shikamaru muttered into the chakra powered headset attached to his ear, the trees around him a blur thanks to this enhanced speed. A crackly affirmative from Chouji was his answer. Pretty soon, the thatched roofs of the village came into view, and with a sigh he let himself drop from the branches to the ground below.

And Shikamaru promptly landed in a cow pat.

"Troublesome…" With another sigh at his ruined shoes, he removed himself from the filth with an audible squelch and started towards the village a quarter of a mile away. It wouldn't do to alarm the inhabitants by suddenly dropping out of thin air. They'd become much more wary of nin after the incident some weeks prior, and wary people rarely tended to give out information, which was what he needed in abundance.

The walk to the entrance of the village—just a shabby set of posts set into the muddy earth really—didn't take long, even at his languid pace.

The frost covered fields he'd passed were mostly devoid of people, but as he got closer to the village, he could spot a head or two, mostly young children, peeking through windows, trying to get a better look. Shikamaru finally stopped right at the perimeter of the first post.

Then, hands in his pockets, he let out one long suffering exhalation and waited, surveying the messy sprawl of huts and houses beyond the gate

Though the one long street through the village was empty except for the occasional chicken wandering here and there, he suspected that all the villagers were hidden inside the houses just in case something like what had happened on the night of the Princess's assassination occurred again. One of the taller houses towards the front of the gate, probably the one with the rickety wooden balcony, was perhaps a makeshift watchtower. His suspicions, as they usually were, turned out to be correct when a man maybe in his late twenties emerged from the shadows of the small balcony, vaulting over the railing and landing clumsily a floor below in a poor maneuver at either impressing or intimidating him.

"Oi, you, what business do you have here? We've got armed archers just inside those other houses, waiting to shoot as soon as I give a signal, and we don't tolerate any funny business here.

Shikamaru shook his head, holding up his hands in a show of complacency. His left was empty while from his right dangled the official seal of the king, "Ma, ma, I'm not here to do any harm. I understand that there was some trouble here right before the princess' sixteenth birthday? I was asked by the King to come and investigate." Subtlety, the nin decided, would just be lost on these people.

The man eyed the seal suspiciously from where he stood, but after a moments comtemplation he turned and called out, "Dasoku, Tourai, come out here!"

Two boys, each no older than nineteen, emerged from the second house on the left of the road and the first house on the right. Both had their bows raised and aimed at Shikamaru. Their hold was secure and steady, but there was no mistaking the flickers of doubt and fear inside their eyes.

The leader nodded at Shikamaru, and he took that as an invitation to step in, hands still raised.

"You two, follow him and shoot if he tries anything. And you, follow me."

They nodded, "Yes Eseki-san."

Ino, Shikamaru decided as he was frog marched into village, should've been the one to come instead.

People wer pouring out from the houses now that danger has seemingly passed, eyes curious. Some tried calling out to Eseki as he walked by, but he ignored them all, face stern and silent.

When Shikamaru decided, awkwardly, to speak, it was to voice a question, "Where exactly are you taking me?"

The older man shook his head, anger coloring his voice as he spoke, "You said you wanted information for the king about that night? Here, this should be information enough."

Shikamaru cringed; they'd veered off the road and stopped in front of a mutilated house deeper inside the village. It was completely destroyed, the last of the wooden frame still standing blackened and singed, and neither the perfume of the flowers piled near the front nor the strong smell of incense was enough to mask the prevalent smell of death.

Eseki smiled grimly, "Go on, go inside. I'll be right behind you. Dasoku, Tourai, stay here."

Shikamaru had seen his fair share of gore and carnage during his life as a shinobi, but what was inside, what awaited him, still threatened nausea and disgust. Strung up on the last remaining wall of the house, rotting entrails spilling out from a gapping slash across the stomach, was the body of a man. The head had been decapitated and laid a good two or three feet away, skull smashed in and eyes still wide open with a grimace of pain or surprise.

And that chakra. That malevolent, roiling chakra, the signature so powerful even after weeks, the impression of it was so steeped in the corpse-

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.

"There was something like this left in every one of the villages attacked. It was so fast…the cloaked man would just sweep through and kill whoever he happened to see. This house…Hasaka lived here with his little sister. His sister was one of the ones to die, when he tried to stop him, he was killed too. We've been trying to get this off, but every time we go too near the body, we'd either throw up or pass out. We tried burning the house down too, but that didn't work either-hey! Where're you going?"

Shikamaru didn't respond, instead walking straight up to the dead thing, his nausea getting worse with every step-it was the chakra. With difficulty, he brought his hands together after slipping the King's insignia in a pocket, forming a seal. His own energy pushed and shoved against what was emanating from the body, but even though it was weeks old and held only by a tenuous bond, it held fast. Finally, with perspiration beading his forehead, Shikamaru felt it give.

"Kai-."

The body immediately vanished, along with the overwhelming presence of the chakra and his nausea.

Shikamaru leaned heavily against the wall, breathless. Behind him Eseki stood stunned, "What, how'd you do that?! Where'd it go?"

Genjutsu. Genjutsu so strong that it could elicit physical effects and linger around for weeks.

Genjutsu.

There was much to tell Sarutobi.

_And the red clouds obscured the sun_.

* * *

Flames fanning a rocky cavern-

"They have started moving."

-the persistent drip of water in a place where water never used to flow-

"What will you do now?"

-but always shadows in a place that have never known light.

* * *

Sakura was bored. Mind numbingly bored. It had been three days since her father had forbidden her to leave the castle and there was _nothing to do-_

"Would you _stop_ that?"

The pinkette didn't bother looking up from the corner of her room she was sulking in, books littered around her like a fort.

Her response was curt, and she made it a point to drum her fingers even louder against the table as she said, "No."

A dark shadow loomed over her, "You're being childish."

Sakura frowned, "I don't care."

A huff of breath sounded from above her, and then, "You live in a palace. How is it that you have nothing to do?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, ignoring Sasuke's contemptuous snort, "I can't go outside, I can't even walk around the halls, I've missed all of my lessons for the better part of almost two weeks now, Ino's barely here with me and _you follow me around all the time_. There are _things_ that must be done, and I'm _not doing them_."

There was silence for the next few seconds, except for the staccato taps of her nails against the gilded wood of the table. There was no point in rereading the medical text in front of her anymore, and Sakura was almost lulled to sleep again when Sasuke said, "Fine. I'll take you out."

Her head snapped up, and she was surprised to find a trace of impatience in the man's face, "What?!" Was he actually being…_nice_ for once?

"Would you like me to reconsider?"

"Of course not, but won't you get in trouble?" Sakura spluttered, head shaking decisively.

Sasuke paused in the act of securing his black cloak to his shoulders before saying monotonously, "Of course, I'm fine with just staying in this room for another week and a half too."

His face was so expressionless as he spoke that Sakura almost believed him, "No, I'm coming, I'm coming!"

He was almost at the door when she finishing fastening her cloak and pulling on her boots, "Where are you going? We'll get caught that way."

His back was to her, but Sakura could tell by the rigid lines of his shoulders that he was annoyed, "Then what do you suggest, _princess_?"

She smirked, "The window."

* * *

"Aren't you going to ask where I'm going?" Sakura called out to Sasuke from inside her hood, balancing precariously on the edge of a sidewalk. Around her, the city bustled.

Sasuke's gaze flickered to her briefly, his own head uncovered, before his eyes went back to alertly watching the crowd around them again. It was a market day, and the streets were bursting with people, the sidewalks crowed with sellers all hawking their wares and vendors extolling the virtue of their fruit . Sasuke wasn't the only one watching though, more than one head turned his way when they passed. Some of them, mostly the men and children, were probably intrigued by the hooded princess next to him, most though, were cheap women taking pleasure in his face.

The line of his mouth grew more sever as he thought, but his reply was low and smooth, "I don't particularly care."

She hmphed, jumping down lightly from the ledge and stalking past Sasuke, who caught up again with a few long, easy strides.

"You climb things a lot," he remarked dryly.

She shrugged, the sides of her hood obscuring her expression, "It's a leftover habit from a friend of mine. He was the wildest kid."

They were almost in the heart of the city now, the number of people crowding around them increasing by the block. It was getting harder to keep close to her without blatantly shoving through pedestrians, but the girl kept speeding up, weaving in and out of the crowd easily.

Then all of a sudden she wasn't there anymore.

Sasuke cursed under his breath, eyes scanning the throng of people. Finally he caught a flash of her white cloak disappearing around a corner. Without hesitating, he took off after her, pushing people roughly to the side. Ignoring their indignant cries, he finally emerged from between two fruit vendors into a back alley just in time to catch Sakura slipping into a side door. His hand caught it just before it closed behind the girl, who'd frozen at his entrance.

"_What did I say about making my job harder than it needed to be_?"

She didn't reply, but a rustle of movement deeper inside the house caught his attention as a blond, voluptuous woman stepped out from the shadows, "So this is the rumored Sasuke-san? He should close the door before a draft gets in."

Sakura finally moved, deftly twisting around him and knocking the door out of his hold, closing it with a soft click, "Hai, Tsunade-shisou."

To Sasuke she said, "Don't be like that. Tsunade-sama is my teacher. She used to come to the palace regularly before the…incident."

Tsunade? That name was familiar, he was sure of it. Voice terse, he replied, "Say something beforehand next time."

Tsunade steered Sakura away before she could answer, but before they completely disappeared through the beaded curtain hanging in front of the doorway he caught the last of her sentence and Sakura's answering laugh, "Yes, yes, she's got it. They're all just little brats inside aren't they?"

Sasuke allowed the briefest of scowls to cross his face before striding across the room to join them. From where he entered it'd looked like a regular kitchen, but upon closer inspection not everything in here was the ordinary pot and stove. There were various mortars and pestles along with vials and beakers of strange colored liquid lined up on the table shoved in one corner of the rectangular space, as well as balances like an apothecary might use. Cabinets along the wall were labeled neatly in ink, but even with his limited experience he could recognize the names of a few poisons and common antidotes. It seemed that this Tsunade was a healer of some sort.

The girl had said the woman was her teacher, was it she who had taught her the skills that she showed during that night?

When Sasuke walked in, he wasn't sure what, if anything, he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't a disguised Sakura with black hair and brown eyes bending over a man with a bleeding gash on his arm and Tsunade watching her under a critical gaze.

"Ah, sorry for coming so suddenly Shizune-san, I know you and Tsunade are very busy all the time, but it's just that tbat damn animal gets me every time."

Sakura smiled, "No, of course it's fine, that's what a clinic's for! You can come here any time."

As she talked, the still unfamiliar glow of her green chakra lit up around her hands, and under her palms the gash soon disappeared, leaving only new, pink skin behind, "There! You're good to go Ota-san, you were very lucky that it was just a superficial wound."

The man thanked them profusely a couple of times and produced a small bag of coins, out of which Sakura only took half. Then with a few more words of thanks he left, the only evidence of his wound the splatter of blood across his sleeve.

Sasuke silently reevaluated her in his mind; her skills were greater than he'd thought.

Tsunade only regarded her with narrowed eyes,"You shouldn't have completely healed the wound, it would have been enough to scab it over. You should always preserve your energy for the bigger injuries ahead instead of small things like this."

Sakura smiled apologetically, moving next to Sasuke and washing her hands at a porcelain sink. Her cloak, he noted, had already been hung up, and instead a starched white coat wrapped around her frame. The whole room smelled faintly of antiseptic, and, he realized, it resemble the clinics in the more modernized hidden villages, clean and spacious, with a bed for the patient to lie on and various medical instruments, the ones unused sparkling clean, laid out in orderly rows on wooden trays. Bright lanterns in every corner of the room made sure that was also sufficient illumination throughout the night.

His first words were, "You are using genjutsu."

Sakura smiled again, but this time it was more the tight curve of lines that he'd become accustomed to and less the bright, unrestrained grin she'd shown to the patient.

"Yes. I taught her the basics, and if you're done asking your questions than I will start my lesson. You missed a lot Sakura, come."

"Of course," Sasuke replied back just as smoothly, voice flat, expression unchanging.

Tsunade just shook her head, mumbling something about sake, and made to walk back into the kitchen-_lab_ Sasuke realized, it was a lab-with Sakura behind her, but when he tried to follow, she tsked, "No, _you_ stay here. If a patient comes in, alert me."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but Tsunade met his stare levelly. Finally, he moved next to the front door and sat down in one of the chairs there, "You are to leave that curtain up."

Tsunade sighed, but the curtain was swept up.

Sasuke watched Sakura for the entire hour and a half that they were there, her brows furrowed in concentration as she, from what he could tell, worked on a medicine or antidote of some kind. He was used to seeing her so engrossed-it was the same expression she wore whenever she confronted the King or studied one of the many heavy texts littering the room, but unlike those times, it was here, in this small, sterile space that she looked like she was actually _enjoying_ what she was doing. She was smart, he'd admit that, but this girl was so different from any nobles that he'd encountered that there must have been some kind of catalyst when she was younger.

A person could be born smart, but they were influenced from the day they were born to be kind, or cruel, to care or not. The princess had every reason to act spoiled, he'd heard the king had doted on her when she was younger, and she had every reason to never do more than she absolutely had to. What need did a princess have for the use of chakra or healing jutsu? And, he thought, this girl _did_ have the most phenomenal chakra control he's ever seen in his life. But why would anyone care in a place so devoid of nin? Who exactly was this Tsunade?

When he finally noticed the darkening sky, Sasuke clenched his hands and stood, "We're leaving."

His abrupt declaration carried into the quiet lab where Sakura was still mixing some chemicals together. At the sound of his voice she bit her lip, casting longing glances at her half written notes scattered across the table, "Already?"

"It's been an hour and a half. If you don't go back now there will be no time."

She nodded, but he could read the regret easily enough. She turned to look at her teacher, who'd been standing over her and commenting on her progress, and exchanged a few quiet words. Sasuke could just get the sounds of "good bye" and "work hard".

He rapped the door impatiently as she gathered her things and slipped her coat off and her cloak back on, "You're still under genjutsu."

"Oh," she said absentmindedly, black already melting back into pink, "I forgot. Thanks for reminding me."

_I forgot_? She was adept enough to unconsciously maintain a mid level genjutsu without thinking about it?

He said nothing and followed her back out into the city, but even as he shut the door behind him he could still feel the weight of Tsunade's gaze on his back.

Outside, Sakura was already running down the almost empty streets, arms stretched wide towards the orange-pink sky. She let out a loud laugh, and when she looked back at him from over her shoulder, her grinning face was haloed by the setting sun, "Thank you Sasuke!"

For an unknown reason her sincerity-her happiness-caught him off guard, and Sasuke's eyes darkened as they made their way back to the palace.

* * *

**a/n**: Okay, so, not two updates, but one that's twice as long, I hope that's just as good? I had the hardest time writing this though, I had 3/4 of the chapter finished two weeks ago, but I just couldn't get myself to do anything more past Shikamaru's entrance. My interest in Naruto is waning (the last few chapters, REALLY Kishi, REALLY?). xP But hopefully this was a nice and meaty chapter for you guys, and not too horrible to read. I tried to end it on a lighter note instead of the usual serious stuff, hence why the title's Interlude. But never fear, there's much more drama ahead! I wonder if anyone's kind of figured out where this is all going? xD

And of course, thank you for all your reviews! The kind words kicks my ass into writing (guilt trip. xD) and the con crit definitely helps me improve, so it'd be great if you continue dropping your thoughts in one after a chapter. : D Also, I've reactivated my lifejournal again, the link's under homepage on my profile, and you can stop by to check out half finished fanfics and maybe even chapter previews that I've posted up. :]

Thanks much!

(BTW, fortnight = two weeks.)


	8. First Step

**Revolution**

**Chapter VIII; First Step  
**

"God places the heaviest burdens on those who can carry its weight."

Reggie White

Two days after Shikamaru's report, Ino looked for Sasuke.

She found him in Sakura's room, reclining on the window seat tucked into a lonely corner. His eyes were closed, head resting lightly against the wall, but there was nothing languid in his posture. No, his shoulders were too stiff for that, and his right hand was just a little too close to his unstrapped sword.

She raised an eyebrow though, when she saw Sakura sprawled on the carpeted floor under him, basking in the perfect square of sunshine streaming through the window, her bent head just inches away from the dangling fingers of Sasuke's free hand as she pored over some text. It wasn't, to be sure, the most dignified position a princess could find herself in, but it was _Sakura_, and Ino doubted that the tree climbing, mud slinging girl of the past had really changed much in that aspect.

No, that much was expected from her friend. What was surprising was Sasuke, surprising that despite the fact that the boy was far from completely _relaxed_, this was the most open that she'd ever seen him-it was finally_ breathable_ to be around him.

But, Ino thought, forehead still furrowed at the scene before her, Sakura was always one of two that always had a habit of wearing down walls.

At the sound of her entrance Sasuke's eyes barely fluttered, slitting open for only a second to let her know that _he_ knew that she was there (but oh, he would've felt her chakra long before she ever stepped foot into the room), but Sakura took a second longer, green eyes blurring as she raced to finish the page she was on before raising her gaze to Ino.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "So you finally decided to visit."

"It's not my fault you were put under house arrest. _Some_ people actually have work to do, you know?" It was a dry joke between two old friends, and based on the rueful glance the pinkettte threw at what she was reading-a treatise on government, of _course_-Ino knew that she wasn't offended. It was nice, really, she thought fondly, that after so many years she was able to see Sakura again, even if the current circumstances were less than desirable.

There was a small pause, "Actually, the one I need to talk to is Sasuke-san right there. Could you spare him for a few minutes?"

Sasuke sat up at the sound of his name, his intense liquid black stare redirecting itself to her face. Ino couldn't help it-her own eyes slid quickly away from his to Sakura's familiar, comforting green. She'd be damned if she let him know it-but he made her uncomfortable, fidgety. Sasuke wasn't a man that she'd particularly enjoying sitting in the presence of (it was easier to run, _just in case_, if you were standing).

"Why? What's the matter?"

Sakura's voice, sharp with inquiries, broke her out of her reverie. Blinking, Ino replied, "Shikamaru found something very…alarming when he went out for recon a couple of days ago. Sasuke-san would have been briefed earlier but we just managed to get the Hokage's reply today."

Or in other words, her Hokage did not trust Danzou with information point blank. Ino didn't quite blame him.

Sakura pressed her lips into a thin line as she rose from her seat on the floor, "My father knows too, I presume?"

Ino nodded, "My team naturally told him first."

"Then there won't be any reason why I can't be included in your discussion either."

Ino just nodded again, following the girl to sit at a light oak table. Once-upon-a-time she'd been jealous of Sakura, of all the pretty things that she had and her room, her _suite_ that was bigger than the little hole in the wall that she'd been living in back then. The jealousy didn't last long.

Sasuke soundlessly followed her, but not without casting an almost disapproving glance towards Ino. Apparently he didn't feel the same about including the princess in the briefing. The blond chose to ignore him, instead pulling up a chair across from the already seated Sakura. Sasuke remained standing by her side. Halfway through the motion of sitting, Ino changed her mind and decided to stand too.

Sakura briefly quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing, instead it was Ino that took the initiative and began to speak, "So I've already mentioned that Shikamaru went on a recon mission two days ago. He was supposed to visit one of the villages attacked by the assassin two weeks ago and gather some basic intel from people who might have seen him. We weren't hoping for much though, even Sakura probably knows that we have pretty much confirmed that the Akatsuki are behind this. Rain has never tried to hide their militaristic intentions. But Leaf and the rest of the world have always assumed that even though Rain employed the use of talented shinobi in their army that most of their population was still made up of civilians. The leaders of the country, the council labeled Akatsuki, has also been seen to be completely ordinary people," Ino paused, took in the intent look on Sakura's face and the smooth mask laid over Sasuke's, "However, what Shikamaru found threw us for a loop. That ninja, the one that almost killed Sakura, he was insane. Intelligence told us that the only order that the Akatsuki had for him was to assassinate the princess, but all those people in the villages was massacred all the same, for no apparent reason. From what Shikamaru got out of the villagers, he was an animal-"

At this point, Sakura interrupted her, bemused, "He seemed very coherent when he was following me."

Ino nodded, "That's the thing. It's almost like a switch was thrown when he got within range of the palace. He might have even been controlled by someone else. The jutsu required for something like this is very high level S-rank, as the nin who'd be using it. Furthermore, his _body_-when an autopsy was performed, he wasn't entirely normal. It wasn't just natural deformations or modifications either, the muscle tissue all over his body was messed up. It seems that Akatsuki has been engineering humans."

Sakura was silent for a moment, expression thoughtful and just the smallest bit disgusted, "I…I've heard of instances where chakra could be used on a pregnant woman to produce deformities in the newborn, if it's true that the Akatsuki has found a way to control that, then we're going to be in serious trouble," she turned her head to look up at the man standing next to her, "Sasuke?"

"This doesn't change our plans in any way."

Ino twitched, "I _know_ that you dolt-" fear be damned, but this man was _irritating _as hell, "but now you know more about the enemy, don't you? Wouldn't it be easier to fight another one of those _things_ if you knew what they could be capable of?"

His expression remained unchanged, although Sakura had frozen the moment the insult left her friend's lips. The pressure of his chakra suddenly felt suffocating. Ino swallowed, but otherwise she remained outwardly unfazed.

Sasuke's voice was low as he said, "If that's all."

_How could Sakura live with being around him all the time?_ She nodded, attempted to nonchalantly toss her blond hair over one shoulder, and left the room in silence. But along the way she couldn't help but note that Sasuke hadn't seemed particularly surprised.

* * *

"You shouldn't do that," Sakura said as she watched her friend disappear through the door, all traces of closeness or camaraderie gained over the last few days with him gone. She'd let her guard down, let him fool her into forgetting that he was dangerous.

Sasuke didn't answer.

It was just as well, Sakura thought vaguely, she shouldn't have been so trusting; she knew who Danzou was, and she didn't trust _anyone_ working under him. If there was an ulterior motive, if Sasuke was just being used in another one of that old man's schemes, she'd know soon enough. Danzou may be a patient man, but he was also old. His time was running out.

Sakura leveled a stare at Sasuke, and as expected he met her scrutinizing unflinchingly. She started when his gaze dropped from her eyes to her mouth before realizing why his eyes had shifted and she quickly released her lips from the grim line that she'd pressed them into.

Sighing softly, she stood and moved to finish the assigned readings her teachers had given her in lieu of lessons.

Sasuke didn't follow, this time settling himself in a rigid chair by the door. He didn't look at her again.

* * *

The Hyuuga compound had never been a warm place. It was austere, cold, formal; it used to choke her when she was younger, her back bowing beneath the weight of the expectations that these halls had for her. Then she got used to it. And she bowed for a different reason.

A curtain of jet black hair separated her from the heavy stare of her father. Hyuuga Hiashi frowned as he surveyed his daughter with impassive pearl eyes, but he jerked his head all the same, allowing her to rise.

"We will leave this evening. Have your maids make all the necessary preparations and be ready by then," she nodded, hands respectfully clasped in front of her, "Remember, this is a crucial time for the Hyuuga. Their princess is sixteen this year, and the negotiations between you and her will begin. Do not disgrace the clan."

"Y-Yes father."

He nodded again, and Hinata took that as her dismissal. Smoothing the wrinkles in her kimono, she bowed once more and left the room, shoji screen sliding quietly closed behind her.

Once outside, in the mostly deserted hallway, she exhaled, a soft release of air as her teeth worried her bottom lip. It would be the first time that the heiress of the Hyuuga clan and the princess of the Fire kingdom met, as per custom, to discuss the standing of the clan, which had managed to hold dual membership in both Leaf and Fire up until now. Every year the heads of both would meet to discuss the terms of Hyuuga citizenship and its renewal, but it was all a political show; the Hyuuga would continue to be a part of both countries, and everyone knew it. They were the perfect show of ninja who are able to coexist peacefully with both sides of life, and too precious a poster boy for either Fire or Leaf to loose.

Hinata…had never been very good with speaking to people.

"Hinata-sama?"

A servant, the symbol on her forehead marking her as someone from the branch house, stood in front of Hinata, clothes draped over one arm, "I am supposed to help you get ready for your trip."

She nodded and gave the younger girl a small smile in return, eyes skirting the cruel marks of the seal, and followed her to her room.

* * *

Very little progress had been made. That was what Sasuke decided as he stood guard outside of the princess'-_Sakura's_ room. What little trust he'd been able to gain from the girl was gone, buried back under that initial wall of suspicion. He hadn't meant to-it was something that he refused to feel _sorry _for-but his misstep with her kunoichi friend had undone most of his work.

It hadn't been hard though, to play nice with her. If nothing else, Sasuke grudgingly respected her; he respected her intelligence and her persistence, her-

Closing his eyes imperceptibly, he edged his back into a more comfortable position, fingers grasping the hilt of his Kusanagi, relishing the feel of cool metal on skin. It wasn't the most comfortable place to stand, right outside her iron doors, but she needed time to calm down, and he to focus and regroup, so in the days after her friend's visit he'd taken to standing guard outside her room for the majority of the time.

The Hyuuga were expected at the palace in half a week.

He had to be ready.

The door behind him creaked open, and a pink head was suddenly looking at him from between the crack, "My father says that it's okay for me to go out now."

She sighed impatiently at Sasuke's deadpan stare, "He agreed with me two weeks ago that I'd need the time to get ready."

Her eyes hardened from moss green to emerald at his non-response, "Sasuke-san, I am leaving this room and _getting on_ with things whether you like it or not. It is your job to follow me around all day, not the other way around, so I could care less if you are with me or not. Now move before I _make you_."

He didn't bat an eye at her slip back into formal speech, but he didn't protests either when she slipped past him in a spring green dress, the doors already closed behind her, slippers silent against the cold stone floor.

Not rising to the bait, he calmly followed her, his eyes glinting with barely-there curiosity.

* * *

She could feel him walking behind her, even before she could hear the soft tapping of his booted feet-his tread used to be so silent, was this for her benefit now? When did he ever think about doing anything for _anyone's _benefit?-but she refused to look over her shoulders. The two passed hallway after hallway in silence, whatever courtiers or servants they'd come upon automatically skirting around the couple, perhaps more intimidated by the figure dressed all in black behind her than out of any real respect for the crown.

The number of people they passed decreased the further they moved into the south wing of the palace. Before long they were descending a flight of stairs-rough, worn stone, not like the chipped marble of the other staircases-into the very bowels of the castle.

They were heading into the dungeons.

Sasuke didn't say anything, but Sakura could practically feel the question marks shooting daggers into her back. It was subtle, but after spending so much time with the man and forcing herself to react according to body language, his curiosity was as clear as day.

Still staring straight ahead, she smiled-thin, and without showing any teeth, but still a smile-, and remained silent.

The walk down the stairs wasn't very long, and the guards posted in front of the dungeon doors let her in with a small nod. She grimaced at the smell of rot and waste; expected, but stronger than she'd remembered after so many days away. It was quiet down here, but occasionally, a moan broke the still air.

Flickering torches provided meager light, and her eyes strained as they tried to make out the first two rows of cells.

They were empty, and they hadn't been the last time she'd come here.

Cursing in her mind, she moved, the quiet thud thudding of boots against the dungeon floors confirming Sasuke's continual presence. She sighed, the closest thing to relief crossing her mind when she found the next row occupied. The nearest to her held the old, almost decrepitated frame of a man, sick yellow pus oozing like oil and vile things from open sores on his arms.

His watery eyes flicked to Sakura's face once, before they sank again to rest on the floor of the grimy cell. Lips pursed in a tight line, she smoothly produced a key and pushed against the rusted lock around the barred door, having to dislodge it with a hard shove before she could slip inside.

She turned, and found Sasuke watching her with cool, almost (maybe? Was that a glint of _something_ that she saw?) disinterested eyes. She shrugged, and turned to the prisoner with glowing green hands and soft, soothing words.

This, healing, helping, not politics, not wrangling this lord or that noble to give just a little bit more funding or a little more support-this was what she was made for.

* * *

He'd been right to think that she was different, Sasuke thought as he watched Sakura heal the sick, (wretched, condemned,

_you will never be strong enough blood blood splashed on the walls floors where is help warm hands to_

hopeless)

face not showing the least bit of disgust at the filth and stench that always accompanied death. Her dress, her hair, her eyes, shone bright and out of place amidst the darkness, pinks and greens a startling contrast to the greys, browns, and blacks that dominated the cells, and the people inside. The hem of her clothes was brushing the dirty floor as she knelt, rich fabric pooling in a puddle of dirt and something else, but the girl didn't seem to notice, intent only on the prisoner in front of her, chakra flaring as she knit newly healthy skin and sinew back together.

The first man didn't take long to heal, and soon she was moving on to the next cell. Despite himself, Sasuke could feel questions rising up from the back of his mind. It didn't matter, he thought, eyes in slits; he would get all his answers sooner or later.

* * *

"Thank you…"

Sakura's eyes widened when she heard the whisper below her. Her last patient for the day was a young woman, probably no older than twenty five or twenty six. The numerous bruises blooming against the pallor of her skin and the lacerations across her tendons and heels sickened her, fueled her rage at whoever must have done this to her. Someone under her own employ.

Bitterly, she wondered what the girl had done to deserve a death like this. Maybe a mistress too inconvenient to keep around anymore, a baron's daughter disposed?

It was hard answering the girls' thanks with a small smile, because it was partially because of her, her and her family, that she'd ended up here in the first place. Not everyone quartered in the palace's proverbial basement was guilty, but they were thrown down here anyways whenever one of her father's high ranking officers deemed fit. Pushing stringy strands of hair away from the girl's cool forehead, Sakura released one last burst of healing chakra against her skin before rising to her feet and leaving the cell.

Her visit to the dungeons had taken up most of the afternoon, and it left her drained and exhausted. She had healed every last scrape on all sixty something prisoners, which wasn't something she'd usually do. It was a punishment of sorts, for having missed her ritual wanderings into the dank underworld of the castle in the past month. How many had died in agony and pain because she hadn't been there?

She could feel the beginnings of the old self resentment building up along with the direction that her thoughts were taking. Sakura frowned, wiping her hands on the towels that the guards provided, blood and gore smearing clean white red.

There was nothing she could do now, but she wouldn't forget to visit again, even in the commotion that the visit from the Hyuuga was going to cause.

Looking over her shoulder, she nodded once at Sasuke, who hadn't moved the entire time, save for the flickering of dark eyes that followed her as she walked. He started forward at her signal, following her back out metal doors and the passageway that lead them to the stairs. It was strange, she thought again, how much they could communicate to each other without the need to speak. She found herself most comfortable with the silences, because every time he opened his mouth his words would topple whatever grip she had on _who Sasuke is_.

"You didn't need to do that."

She had anticipated the question, put so bluntly that it was stated more as a fact.

She really liked their silences.

Her breath leaving her in a soft _whuff_, she shrugged, "Everyone wants a peaceful death."

Voice quiet behind her, he countered, the echoes of their footsteps reverberating through the stair well almost drowning out his words, "Every one of them down there has been sentenced to death. They're criminals."

Nothing accusatory in his tone, but Sakura still felt her hackles rising nonetheless, "Not always. My country-my court isn't perfect. A lot of people die even when they don't deserve to…but I'll change that."

The last part of her sentence was nothing more than an exhalation of air, but she was sure he still heard her.

There was no answer, but the thuds of his softened against stone slabs; he was probably thinking, she decided, wincing at the stickiness that still coated her fingers as she clenched her hands-she would have to clean them properly later.

* * *

When Sasuke suggested in that low voice of his that they should eat dinner with her father, Sakura nearly dropped her book in surprise. He'd started standing guard inside her room with her again after the visit to the dungeons, and as a gesture of goodwill she agreed.

Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji had declined to join them, busy as they were with their missions. Besides, Ino had told a miffed Sakura, it would've been really out of place for two cooks and a maid to be dining with the king. She'd insisted, even under the disapproving stare of her father, but Ino only shook her head one more time before she walked off with a smile and a backwards wave.

So dinner the first night was a really uncomfortable affair, with Sasuke not speaking and every word coming out of her father's lips a reprimand for this or that. It annoyed her that the whole thing made her feel twelve years old again, but she held her tongue. Her father, she knew, was only irritated because of the increasingly near arrival of the Hyuuga. It didn't change, however, how completely unpleasant the whole evening had been, and Sakura constantly found herself wishing that she was back in her own room, eating dinner in front of her window with only a book (and…_maybe_ Sasuke) for company.

She would've thought that Sasuke agreed, but then he'd suggested eating dinner with her father _again_, for the rest of the week, and the look in his eyes ignited her curiosity and left little room for argument. So they did.

* * *

The night before the day that the Hyuuga were to be expected, in the middle of dinner, her father turned to her with an expectant look in his eyes.

Sakura stopped mid-chew. After a deliberate swallow, she raised her eyes to meet her father's, ignoring the way Sasuke watched the exchange with disinterested alertness, "Yes?"

"You are prepared?"

At this she smiled, "I've spent the last five years of my life preparing. I can handle it."

"You are the Haruno clan's daughter- you are your mother's daughter. Remember that," he said simply.

Sakura blinked, it was rare for the king to mention the Haruno's shinobi beginnings, and even rarer for him to mention her mother. She simply nodded.

Her father had no idea just how much she really remembered.

The rest of the evening was spent in relative silence. The whole of the palace felt restless, preparations for tomorrow having been underway for a while now. Everyone was anticipating the day when the heiress of the Hyuuga clan and the princess-first in generations-would finally meet. It would herald a new era almost, the first time that both heads were women. In the past Hyuuga women had reigned as heiress, but even when a queen had ruled Fire so long ago never before had both happened at the same time.

(Daughters used to be exterminated in the Hyuuga clan, way back in the day, before Konoha got all _liberal_. If a woman lived to become head of the clan, she was usually…exceptional.)

The definitive clink of a fork against clean china snapped Sakura out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see her father poised over an empty plate. She set her fork down too, dinner only half eaten, quail and asparagus suddenly threatening nausea.

The king's mouth parted, and she watched as he considered leaving her with some words before he nodded and just left.

Sakura closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked towards tomorrow, trying to ignore the way that Sasuke's gaze was suddenly burning holes through her back.

* * *

The next day, the hustle and bustle that had been creeping and building up in the servant's quarters finally exploded in a culmination of heaps upon heaps of dresses and makeup and hair dressers shoved on Sakura in her suite. The maids had politely knocked once on her door at seven in the morning before barging inside in a flurry of noise and fabric. She had barely enough time to shuffle out of bed before she was tackled by a maid and hauled to her feet. The last thing she glimpsed before being ushered into the adjoining bathroom was the small, amused tilt of Sasuke's eyebrows as he entered after the women, already bathed, shaved, and as fresh and good looking as if he hadn't had to wake up at the crack of dawn.

She would've called him things with words no respectable lady should know if the serving women weren't so hell bent on giving her a thorough scrubbing.

* * *

"Do you think we should pick out something green? _Emerald_ to match her highness' eyes?"

"No, no, she wears green every other day. How about red?"

"That shade would never go with her hair! Are you trying to _deliberately sabotage her_?"

"How dare you suggest that! Red would look _so_ nice against her skin-you have _such _nice skin dear."

Sakura smiled weakly at the compliment and resisted the urge to say that she doubted the color of her dress would matter much in the grand scheme of things tonight. It was already three, and the Hyuuga were scheduled to arrive at six. She had spent the better part of her day getting manicures and pedicures and having her skin buffed to a shine when really she should have been going over the details of the contract between clan and kingdom one more time.

She used to love this part of being a princess-the pampering, the dresses, the getting dolled up all the time. But then she'd gotten older, Tsunade had become her teacher, and she'd learned. And the court had learned too, had gotten the message that she was no longer just some pretty puppet for them to manipulate. Her haircut had gotten her that. She loved her father, but she refused to be like him. When she became queen, she would find a way to survive without the support of the nobles or Danzou's _advice_.

Sakura sighed, giving herself over to the women as they finally decided on a dress and started to attack her hair next, little tsking noises permeating the room as they began the routine "_shame this is so short, the color's a bit odd, but so nice….etc_".

A particularly painful tug against her scalp made her eyes water and involuntarily seek Sasuke's face out for help. A smirk-definitely a smirk-twisted his lips and he shook his head imperceptibly. She groaned and went back to resenting combs.

To be truthful though, she almost liked the fact that he was here-even if it was only for a mission-that she wasn't going to have to face this alone.

_No reliance Sakura._

Just this once.

* * *

It was a beautiful dress, she thought absentmindedly, fingering deep purple silk, the color spilling like bruises across pale skin. The recessed door that would lead her straight to the back of the raised throne stood in front of her, simple and completely unassuming. Past that, there would be staring eyes. Past that, there would be her first test.

Preoccupied, she jumped when she felt the brush of fabric against her bare shoulders. The leanly muscled arm and dark sleeves confirmed that it was Sasuke. He nodded at her, once, as he pushed opened the door just a crack and entered first, body slipping past hers as he did so. His presence did nothing to dispel her worries or unclench the tight knot in her stomach-Sasuke just was not that kind of person.

But it gave her the modicum of courage needed to open that door and step through.

As the lights of the throne room rushed over her, the crown sat heavy on her head.

* * *

**a/n:** I'm not even going to try to find an excuse beyond "life happened", but I'm really very sorry for the long wait. Just know that I love and read every single one of your reviews, and if I managed to forget to reply to yours, I apologize. But they do help, really. Every kind word encourages me to write and every piece of concrit pushes me to get better. : D

Just a couple of things; a) I just realized that I completely botched Sakura's birthday. It's in March, which means there's no way that's "early winter". So just ignore that and pretend her birthday really is sometime in winter for plot's sake, b) I finally finished writing this purely on no sleep, cloti AMV's, and other people's fanfiction, especially fairheartstrife's **Splintered Dreams **(which is a great alternate Zack/Tifa fic where Cloud dies instead and Zack lives. So if you're a fan of FFVII and you like/don't mind the pairing, then check it out if you haven't already, it's great) and various really well written ichiruki fics (even though I have never read or watched Bleach past the first volume. The quality of the writing completely made up for my lack of knowledge in the fandom) that completely inspired me to finish writing too, so be grateful to all of the above if you enjoyed finally having this thing updated, and last but not least, c) I've lost all interest in Naruto. Kishimoto has butchered most, if not all the characters that I liked, and the plot doesn't exactly give me a reason to keep reading anymore, so if the stuff that I write seems wildly off with canon (like Sakura turns out to be Sasuke's long lost sister or something), forgive me.

Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter, and as always, leave a review with your thoughts in it please? And to someone's question of when this and/or Points of View will be updated again, I honestly don't know. I _think_ Revolution has a shot of being updated once my finals and everything are over (I should be studying right now), because I've kind of hit my stride with it (which reminds me, do look forward to the next chapter, things will finally pick up). As for POV, um, don't bet on it too soon.

Thanks again!


	9. Reunion

**Revolution**

**Chapter IX; Reunion  
**

"to betray, you must first belong."

Kim Philby

The lights were almost blinding, at first. Then her eyes adjusted and she was taking in the large, rectangular room packed with bejeweled people, gemstone encrusted dresses glinting off the light of the chandelier like so many shining beetles. The Hyuuga were easily distinguishable in the crowd, clad in kimonos of rich, sedated silk, the soft, muted colors a contrast to the bright dresses that the ladies of the court favored. The only jewels adorning the Hyuuga women were the ones embedded in the combs twisted up in their hair. In comparison, Sakura's own court looked hopelessly gaudy.

Swallowing, Sakura fingered a corner of her own dress, thankful for its subdued color and-thank the gods, because who knew what else the maids might've picked out- non-reflective fabric.

Beside her, Sasuke moved. It was just a slight shifting of his feet, and since the man could be preternaturally still at times, she knew it was for her own benefit. Right, there was no time to stall.

Sakura cleared her throat, and watched as all eyes turned to her. She stood in what resembled an open balcony, two thrones on the dais of marble, and the door that she'd entered from behind it. One of the thrones was occupied by her father, and since the Queen was dead, the other would be for her. Four steps, blocky and rectangular, allowed one to ascend or descend the thrones. The bottom step was flanked by two armed guards.

Instead of sitting in the throne, she stood at the edge of the first step instead, feeling the eyes of both her father and Sasuke watching her. The court followed her move. At the forefront of the crowd were gathered a retinue of Hyuuga. Recognizing Lord Hiashi at the front, she figured that the woman next to him was Lady Hyuuga Hinata.

She was beautiful, a pale mauve kimono cladding a statuesque figure, the epitome of grace and elegance. Her eyes were almond shaped and a soft lavender shade, pin-straight sable hair cascading down her back in a sheet of silk.

The picture brought a grim smile to Sakura's lips; it would be more fitting if Hinata were the princess, though considering her position as heiress to the Hyuuga, she might as well be. There'd be time to feel inadequate later, but as if looks mattered! She hadn't shorn her hair off so long ago to worry about vanity now.

Bowing at the waist in deference to Konoha customs, Sakura smiled as she straightened and began, "I personally welcome the Hyuuga to my land in what both my father and I will be the continuation of a tradition of peace and prosperity. Lady Hinata, may your reign be as successful as your father's, if not even more."

The court began to clap politely after her greeting, and smiling, Hyuuga Hinata and Lord Hiashi bowed lightly in return, Hiashi's eyes softening slightly at her traditional welcome.

"Yes, I am sure our stay will be pleasant; thank you for receiving us so kindly, your highness."

Both sides bowed once more, and the rest of the court took it as a sign that the party had begun. The king stood and strode forward from the throne, pausing briefly to clasp Sakura around the shoulders for a job well done and smiling warmly at Hiashi as he did so. Stepping forward, he clasped arms with the other man. Hyuuga Hinata looked surprised at the informality between the two, but Sakura smiled, used to the small displays of affection between the two men; having met each other when they were as young as their daughters were, they had formed a camaraderie and friendship of sorts. Sakura hoped that she would develop the same kind of relationship with Hinata-san; the girl certainly seemed likeable enough, her smile shy but genuine.

While their fathers reminisced, Sakura turned to said girl in question, "How was your journey Hinata-san? I trust it went well?"

Hinata smiled softly in return, her voice quiet as she replied, "It went well, thank you. I hope that our stay here doest not overly encumbered your staff."

"Not at all!"

They lapse into awkward silence after that as the older men talked on, Sakura cleared her throat, lips parting to give conversation another shot when the orchestra started, "Oh! We can dance now."

Hinata blinked, "U-us?"

Sakura laughed, but not unkindly, "Not with each other, with other people."

"Oh…" The dark haired girl shifted imperceptibly, and Sakura felt sorry for her; it was obvious that Hinata didn't relish the idea of dancing.

"We don't have to dance _now_, would you like some wine first? Food is being served in the next room."

Without waiting for a response, Sakura threw one more friendly smile over her shoulder before navigating her way through the ballroom to the set of double doors on the other side, correct in the assumption that Hinata would follow her. It was a buffet style banquet was set up in the adjacent receiving hall, four long tables loaded with all manners of food and drink for the guests. It was markedly less crowded in here, in fact the only people present were a few well dressed children that scattered into the ball room with giggles and sloppy bows when the two older girls walked in and a few serving maids that were putting the finishing touches on the food displays.

Hinata visibly relaxed with the crowd gone, her smile marginally wider and her positive response genuine when Sakura asked if the cup of tea—laid out alongside the wine and spirits for the foreign guests—she handed to her was acceptable.

Noting the girl's pale violet gaze, Sakura was reminded of another whose eyes had been more than unusual, "Hinata-san? I hope I'm not being rude by asking, but why is the Hyuuga clan's eyes like that?"

The Hyuuga looked faintly amused by the question, "No, it's alright. This," lifting a hand, she traced the shape of one eye, "is called a bloodline limit; it is the byakugan. All children born to at least one pure-blood Hyuuga parent will inherit it."

Sakura nodded, she knew what bloodline limits were from what Ino had told her about her own, "What does it allow you to do? Does it only give you enhanced sight?"

Hinata smiled at her questions, "Yes, but it can also do more. Among other things like allowing the user to see through solid objects and providing an almost 360 degree field of vision, the byakugan's greatest advantage is its ability to be able to literally see chakra pathways."

Curious, the pink haired girl asked, "Does that mean you can see mine?"

"Not until it's activated."

"Ah…" The two lapsed into silence, the Hyuuga heir occasionally sipping at her tea, Sakura's own cup forgotten in one hand.

"Hinata-san, are there other blood line limits like yours?"

"Like mine?"

Sakura nodded.

"Well, there are multitudes of doujutsu in the world, so probably yes. But…specifically pertaining to Konoha, there used to be people who could use the sharingan, which actually arose from the byakugan. The sharingan grants the power of advanced genjutsu to the user, and with it anything can be copied. It was the signature of the Uchiha clan, before…" Hinata's trailed off, "Before the Uchiha massacre. Now only Hatake Kakashi is left, but he was not born with the doujutsu so he cannot pass it on."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Massacre?"

"We…prefer not to speak of it. Like the byakugan, users of the sharingan must activate it first. Unlike our bloodline limit however, the sharingan look like ordinary eyes until they are."

"So until it's activated, you can't tell if someone has the sharingan?"

Hinata nodded, "That is correct. The Uchiha clan almost always had dark eyes that were very unremarkable until the sharingan was activated. When the doujutsu is used, the pupils will turn blood red."

Sakura closed her eyes, heart beating hummingbird fast. She could still remember Sasuke's eyes that very first night. The red of it had stayed with her to this very day.

"Why?"

The pink haired girl started. Hinata, seeing her surprise, hastened to apologize, a hint of the old stutter slipping through. "A-ano, I do not mean to pry. I was just—"

"No, no it's alright. I was just curious." Sakura smiled reassuringly at the other girl.

The sudden, discordant blare of instruments cut through the comfortable quiet of the buffet room

"Ah, I think we have to head back now."

Hinata bowed her head in acquiescence and set her cup of tea back on the table, murmuring another quiet thank you. Together, the two woman made their way back out into the ballroom.

It was eerily quiet, now that the instruments had subsided and the chatter had ceased. The King and Hiashi waited for them in the middle of a cleared space on the dance floor. Sakura immediately knew what to do and started towards Hiashi, but Hinata hesitated for just a second, looking between her father and the King. Sakura gave her a small, encouraging smile and nudged her towards her own father. Hinata recovered and the look she gave the other woman was full of thanks.

Bowing before the Hyuuga head, Sakura smiled when he took her hand. The first lonely notes of a violin broke the silence, and the waltz began. A few minutes in, the violins and cellos faded and a new sound pierced the air. The shamisen was being played now, the beat of the song changing from the demure notes of the waltz into something fiercer, faster, and altogether more primal.

Hiashi let go of her hand and they began a new dance. The traditional Leaf dances usually don't require the dance partners to touch, and like the song, was more rhythmic and energetic than the waltz. It was a dance of fast whirls and flying feet, the dancers coming so close to each other after each turn that stray strands of hair tickled each other's face. Sakura loved this dance the best, and her smile turned into a full blown grin, movements almost wild as her skirt swirled around her in trails of purple fabric. Hiashi's dancing was much more reserved, and he was the one who gave Sakura a polite, perfunctory tap of the shoulder to indicate when it was over. The King and Hiashi returned Sakura's and Hinata's deep bows, and after a polite round of applause the rest of the room moved onto the dance floor.

The exchange of dances occurred every year Hiashi visited, standing as a symbol of trust and the cultural exchange between Leaf and Fire. This year was the first that the King had participated however, due to the fact that Hinata had never visited before.

Tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, Sakura excused herself from Hiashi's company and made to move to someplace less crowded to catch her breath. A warm hand on her arm stopped her though, and Sakura was startled to meet Sasuke's hooded gaze when she turned around.

Another short tug pulled her both back onto the dance floor and into the circle of Sasuke's arms. He was…much too close for her liking. Long fingers threaded through hers and a strong arm settled around her waist. His touch was light, almost hovering over her skin, but she could feel the heat of him and it scorched her like a brand.

Her eyes were just level with his collarbone. Sakura swallowed, turning her head so she wasn't staring at paper pale skin and the strong jut of bone anymore. She reluctantly laid a hand over his shoulder, fingers light and uncertain, but as soon as the music started, she was hissing, "Sasuke, what the hell?"

He tightened his grip for a second, perhaps in reprimand, and Sakura shivered at the increased contact. "Language, Sakura_._"

Frowning, she moved to shake him off. In response he hauled her back against his chest, still moving smoothly to the music. They weren't dancing so much as swaying on the spot, but she was conscious of the fact that all eyes in the nearby vicinity were on them.

"Too high and mighty to grant the lowly shinobi a dance _prin-cess_?" He bent his head until his lips were pressed into her hair, the rumble of his growled whisper passing through her like a ghost.

Wrenching herself away until there was space between them again—until she could _breathe_ again, Sakura smiled sickly-sweet up at him, "Not at all, _Sasuke-kun_, I just didn't think you were the dancing _type_."

The man in question ignored her provocation, instead only relaxing his hold after he was sure she wouldn't try to break away. In the end, the pair ended up swaying in sullen silence. Sakura was about to pull away again, annoyed at the tension and the annoying _hitch_ in her breath whenever she moved too close when the music changed, this time to an upbeat Leaf tune. Sasuke immediately adjusted his grip on her, sliding his hand down her shoulder and arm until long, rough fingers entwined with hers, the other hand leaving her waist so that he could twirl her out. It should've been easier, this increase in space, but the music set a rhythm in her blood that matched the pounding of feet to the dance and then and then—

Strong arms were pulling her back in a single tug, bringing their bodies within hairs-breadth of each other. Her chest heaved with the exertion of the movement and the rich dark fabric of her bodice stretching over her breasts had barely grazed the dark front of his shirt before he was swinging her out again, feet light and quick as they went through the steps. His grip on her hand loosening and tightening as the music warranted, sometimes he nearly letting her go, almost flinging her into other dancers with the force of his push before he was tugging her back by the fingertips a second later.

Leaf dances were designed as a display of passion and physical skill. With Sasuke's natural fluidity he was a master at the latter, and passion…? Sasuke wasn't what Sakura would call passionate, instead, everything he did, she noticed it'd always been with a single minded intensity. It was the same intensity now that set her nerves on fire whenever she looked up and accidentally met his dark eyes, burning like black flint. That same intensity was the reason why it seemed like every particle of her being was strung on tight strings, singing and vibrating every time he pulled her close, the fast movement ruffling her skirts and her hair until loose, soft wisps were framing her face.

The last bars of the song played, and with a quick _snap_, Sasuke pulled her close for the final maneuver. This time though, he didn't stop until she was plastered flush against his front. Sakura knew it was only for the dance, but for the three long seconds that he held her close, her world was composed solely of warmth, darkness, and the faintest lingering scent of smoke. She moved just a fraction of an inch closer, tip toeing slightly and pressing her nose in the warm crook of a neck. Then he was again a respectable three feet away, face as composed as it'd been during the dance. If Sasuke noticed her slip, he didn't comment on it.

"Ah," she said intelligibly, "um."

He stood, impassive as ever, waiting for her to finish.

"Thank you for the dance?" Sakura hated that her words came out sounding like a question, hated that she'd been affected by his proximity at all.

Sasuke inclined his head in response, and it was then that she realized he wasn't as composed as she thought. His right hand, the hand he used to draw his weapon with, clenched and unclenched ever so slightly.

Beats of silence reigned while everyone continued to chatter around them.

A countdown in her head, anticipation for something she did not know, mirroring the agitation in his eyes, in his curled fingers, in—

A collective gasp swept through the crowd, every head turning towards the sound.

Except for Sasuke and Sakura.

He only cocked his head towards the noise, face expressionless, hand now settled firmly over the hilt of his sword, expectant. Sakura watched him warily, afraid to turn to see what was causing the commotion, it was answered for her, however, when the screams began.

"_The King! _Someone help the King!"

* * *

She sat slumped outside her father's bedroom, back against the wall, legs drawn up to her chest, head in her hands. It wasn't the way she should ever be found by any of the servants or courtiers, but she'd managed to hold her head high when she'd still been in the ballroom and now, now was the time to break apart and worry like any other girl for her father. The attending physicians hadn't allowed her to enter when they'd carried her father into his chambers after he collapsed in the ballroom. At first, the guards had thought he'd been attacked, hit by a poisoned senbon perhaps. But no wounds had been found on his person and Sasuke confirmed that there had been no intruders in the castle.

Hiashi stood opposite to her, still regal and distant but obviously worried, but whether for her father or what this would mean for his clan, she couldn't tell. He was her father's friend, true, but to ninja, clan would _always_ come before everything else. The rest of the Hyuuga were in the guest wing of the castle, and the ball had ended early and all courtiers dispatched from the grounds. Sasuke had left her to consult with the guards about the security of the fortress.

They'd been waiting for a while, now.

A creak sounded from the door next to her. Sakura had only managed to jump to her feet and smooth down her dress when it opened and out emerged one of the physicians. The very same one that'd told her despite the fact that she was as good a healer as they, if not better, she wasn't allowed to help her father because she'd been taught by a _kunoichi._

"Princess, your father has fallen ill. You are not to disturb him until we feel he is…recovered enough for more strenuous activity. We suggest that you go back to your chambers now and rest, it has surely been an eventful night for you as well."

Sakura could only stare at him, at the pretentious gold and silver robes, the absolutely _useless_ charms hanging on the man's thick silver braided belt. The helplessness she'd felt all night quietly changed into a louder sort of anger, "_Excuse me?_ Who are _you_ to tell me that I can't see my father? If the most you've figured out is that he's _fallen_ _ill_, and anyone could see _that_ you…you _imbecile, _then may I suggest that you're doing something fuc—"

"Sakura-hime."

Her name on his lips swallowed the rest of her sentence. His voice was polite, but the hint of steel underneath was easily detectable.

He was standing behind her, against the opposite wall next to where Hiashi used to. She'd never heard either of them coming or going.

If the threat in his voice wasn't enough, the look he gave her was. It held no room for argument, and by the time she'd found it in herself to look away again, the physician had already reentered the room and closed the door.

Cursing, she tried the handle, not surprised when it didn't turn. Hiashi had been allowed in then, but not her, because she was just _princess_ and that held even less power than _king_.

Biting her lip, Sakura nodded and followed Sasuke down the hall.

"What do you think happened?"

His echoing voice startled her in the quiet of the castle, and she didn't even realize it'd been a question until she'd registered what he'd actually said.

"I…I don't know. They say he fell ill, but…"

He stopped, turned and looked at her, "You don't believe the doctors?"

Sakura grimaced, "They're poor excuses for doctors. Our medical care is way behind the rest of the world because—But that's not the point. His attack, whatever it was, was too sudden," she looked up at Sasuke, green eyes serious, voice hushed, "Sasuke, don't you think it was a little too convenient that my father would fall ill _now_ when he was perfectly healthy a day before? He almost never gets sick, not even the occasional cough or cold, and now he's collapsing all over the place?"

Sasuke's expression was inscrutable as she continued, her voice growing louder, gaining a desperate sort of momentum, "I think this is because of me, because the Hyuuga were going to be here and it would've been the perfect time to get to him, when the rest of the castle was distracted with other things and he could be caught off guard. If my father died it would have been _because of me_—"

Her breaths were coming in quick, short pants now, her head dizzy with spinning implications.

_Because of what you can do, never because of who you are._

Everyone wanted her, everyone had a hidden agenda no one no one there was no one safe no water in the rock no rock in the water no safe harbor no—

"Look at me."

Sasuke gripped her shoulder with one hand. The other lay against her mouth, pressing her lips hard against her teeth. She was sure she'd be able to taste him on herself if she licked her lips when he let go. He'd bent so he was looking right at her, slate eyes intent on something, intent on _her_.

"_Look at _me."

Her shudders stopped, and when she was breathing normally again, he let go. Sakura couldn't help it, she immediately rewet her dry lips. But there was no trace of anything but the remnant bitterness of tea on her tongue. A perverse part of her, the one where her fear of Sasuke had slowly morphed into wariness and then curiosity and eventually a _hunger_ to find what scraps of his life she could, was disappointed. If it wasn't for the lingering pain of bruised lips it could've been that he'd never touched her at all.

"What. Are. You. Talking about."

Sakura nearly jumped, but that restraining hand was back on her shoulder again, holding her in place. He didn't know, she realized. For whatever reason Danzo hadn't told him the reason the Akatsuki had wanted her in the first place.

"Tell me," he said again, louder this time, "what are they keeping from me?"

When she didn't respond, eyes growing wider in fear, his other hand rose to grip her hard by the shoulders, and suddenly he was shaking her.

"Tell me!"

She shook her head, her own hands holding onto his arms now, shocked at his loss of control and wary of the wild look in his eyes, "Sasuke—Sasuke _stop_, let me go—"

He ignored her, though the shaking stopped. The ringing the jostling had produced in her head though, didn't go away, and he didn't let her go either, "_Tell me_."

"Hey, you heard the lady. Let her go."

Sakura froze; that voice it couldn't be couldn't there was _no possible way_—

Sasuke's hands disappeared from her shoulders as he looked up, over her shoulder to glare at someone behind her. His sword was already drawn.

She turned: a slow, dream-like movement because this could not be real, she does not, cannot believe what every sense in her body was screaming at her.

A boy, tall, tanned, and blond stood not four feet away, dressed in rust orange ninja gear. His smile was large and beautiful and true and his eyes were creased closed but she knew, she knew that when he opened them their color would be the brightest imaginable blue. Three whisker marks decorated each cheek.

"N-Naruto," she breathed.

"Hiya Sakura-chan."

* * *

**a/n:** See, I _haven't _abandoned this! This year's been...hard, and I'm actually in the middle of my finals, but I think you guys have waited long enough. Are there any of the original readers _left_? But yeah. Here, finally finished. I've been itching to write the dance scenes but when I finally got to them, _they were so hard_.

But here. Things happening. Like I promised. A year late but...still! Better late than never! Not my best chapter, but not my worst. A _big_ thank you to everyone that's reviewed this story though, and even a bigger thank you to those who've actually stuck with it! My immense gratitude goes out to you! Remember, reviews and concrit are always appreciated, and I make it a point to always answer any questions you may have. :) Will probably proofread again later and find more mistakes. Time for **A Long Way Home** now...

(BTW, if you haven't heard about SasuSaku Month, head over to my profile to check it out, and then join join join!)

*I didn't want Hinata to stutter except in extreme duress because in Revolution!verse, she's had more time to grow up and become more composed. So no, no fainting Hinata here when/if she meets our favorite kid in orange.


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